


Return of the Kings

by LLAngel



Series: Kings [1]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: M/M, Puzzleshipping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-08
Updated: 2020-11-20
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:00:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 40
Words: 83,035
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25779349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LLAngel/pseuds/LLAngel
Summary: 6 years have passed since the ceremonial duel but when Atem is forced to make a decision to return to save Yugi's life he must adjust to the growth his friends have made since then. Danger lurks close by, threatening to end Yugi once and for all but will he and his friends be able to curve the evil? And will it stop at Yugi once it realises the Nameless King has returned?
Relationships: Atem/Mutou Yuugi
Series: Kings [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1870195
Comments: 15
Kudos: 42





	1. Chapter 1

Pain ripped through his body, shaking his bones and boiling his blood as the concrete tore at his skin and clothes. Air burned his lungs and darkness threatened to steal his vision away, creeping in from the sides as the world faded and blurred. His muscles screamed in protest, his body begging for him to give in but denied it the luxury. He couldn't give in now...

"Just die Moto! How selfish can you be?!"

Another scream escaped his lips as pain blinded him. Tears melted down his cheeks like streams of hot water and his head threatened to crack open like a melon. He grabbed at his head in a vain attempt to contain the pain but it was within him, erupting like a volcano beneath his skin.

The pain ebbed away as his hands lost their strength and he fell limply as gravity's fingers wrapped around his body and his energy sapped away. He closed his eyes, welcoming the cold relief washing over him and accepting the darkness as it faded to an overwhelmingly bright light.

His energy returned and he found himself somehow standing. His wounds were fresh on him, his body bruised and broken but he wasn't in any pain. He felt nothing, even when he touched the gash on his forehead still wet with blood.

Looking around him he saw an endless void of white. No sky, no floor, no walls...just white space.

"Yugi?"

His heart clenched tightly as the voice sang behind him. Did he imagine it? He must have... unless....

He turned on his heel to see the owner of the voice. The familiar silhouette of the tricoloured god stood not too far off, watching him in stunned awe.

"You..." The word rolled off his lips but as it did his surroundings convulsed and pain erupted through his body once again, gripping him in an immense embrace that caused him to scream again.

When he opened his eyes again he was back in his city, writhing on the concrete as the man stood over him, grinning wildly in delight as Yugi screamed and squirmed in agony.

"Not much more... soon you will die and the world will be saved." The man growled hungrily.

"Why... don't you... just ... do it?" Yugi cried as he clawed at his chest and hair.

"Because what you bring about deserves to be punished." The man said as he kicked Yugi in the ribs violently. He recoiled, groaning as he coughed up blood. It hurt but compared to the torture he'd been enduring it felt almost empty.

Closing his eyes he found himself in the field of white again, huddled over on his hands and knees. His vision came in and out as he gazed at his own hands, turning white from the strain.

"Yugi what is happening?" The man beside him asked gently, in a voice as smooth as silk. He touched his back and shoulder and immediately he felt warm in those places. The rest of his body grew cold and he shuddered. The familiarity with him tore down whatever foundation he had left and he felt himself crumbling from the fear and realisation of where he was and what was happening.

"I- I'm dying." Yugi cried weakly.

"Yugi tell me what is happening, please." Atem urged him. His voice dripped with concern and impatience strong enough to shake him from his stupor.

"I - My colleague... I think... he ... ah... Ah." Yugi stammered with difficulty as he was being pulled away again.

He breathed in fire, choking on the air that felt like razors down his throat. His eyes felt as if they were leaking down his cheeks and his heart felt as if it had been wrung. Pain split his skin, oozing through every pore and threatening to splinter his bones.

"Give up Yugi. The more you try to fight it, the more pain you'll be in. Do yourself a favor... and just die!" The man said, his words dripping with venom with every syllable. At the word 'die' he screamed again, arching his back in pain and rolling as he tore at his hair and curled into a ball as if that would shield him from the pain. He needed to hold on, he knew this. When the pain ebbed away he knew he'd be transported away again but if he held on, he might just survive this... but how long could he hold on for? He couldn't hold on forever... he needed help. He knew he needed help... but his friends were elsewhere... he was alone...

"Yugi listen to me. You have to hold on. The more you come here the weaker you'll get, the more your body will reject you. You have to listen to me." Atem's voice sang to him soothingly. He listened to him, to every word as if it were a lullaby as it calmed him down. He listened to the sound of his voice but his words seemed to hold no meaning for him... he could have said anything just now.

"I'm... tired." Yugi breathed. Opening his eyes he saw the concrete below him, spanning on for eternity. The city he knew so well was nothing but blurred shapes in the distance and the white world above him was blinding.

"I know but you must fight." Atem urged him. He couldn't see him but it was his voice.

"Just give in Yugi. Sleep. Sleep and save the world." The man chimed.

The pain was creeping on him again, slowly as if finger walking over him before it would grip him tightly. He knew it was coming but when... just strike. Why torture him like this? Just do it. He didn't know what was worse, the incoming pain or the anxiety of it.

"He's the one doing this to you?" Atem asked him.

"My... colleague..." Yugi squeaked as the pain grew and grew and grew. He curled up deeper, burying his eyes in his palms as fingers pulled at his hair.

"Perhaps once Yugi... but soon it will be former." The man said. "I am sorry... you're a good archaeologist Yugi. A truly brilliant mind.... It's a shame to lose such talent, but this is for the greater good."

"I've had enough of this." Atem growled angrily. Yugi could feel his anger growing, coming off him in waves of heat.

"I'm... sorry." Yugi cried.

Atem touched his shoulder and he could feel him trying to merge with him. Immediately Yugi overcame the pain he was feeling, pushing it aside as he put up a wall between him and Atem, repelling him like a magnet.

"Yugi... why?" Atem asked. He was hurt by this but Yugi had to... he was in so much pain though he could barely keep the wall up.

"You... need to rest..." Yugi said weakly.

"No... you need to rest." The man said softly.

Yugi screamed again as the pain grasped him tightly, squeezing the last of his voice out of him. The wall shattered like a mirror as thousands of glass stars fell. The white sky above grew, enveloping the city so all his world was the concrete, his enemy standing above him and Atem crouched beside him.

"Yugi let me help you. I can save you." Atem pleaded with him with such urgency Yugi almost agreed.

"No... you ... deserve... rest." Yugi cried weakly in a raspy whisper.

"You can be mad with me later." Atem said definitively, touching his forehead now and forcing himself inside his mind before Yugi could erect another wall.

He secured himself inside, pulled Yugi from his consciousness who attempted to fight with him but he was so weak Atem needed little effort to take his place.

"This has gone on long enough now don't you think?" The man said smugly.

Atem felt the pain growing in Yugi's body. Whatever this man was doing to him was not natural but it was nothing he couldn't fight off. As the pain grew slowly he quickly accessed his own power from deep within and repelled the dark magic that held Yugi. Warm fire erupted from his core, pushing the man several meters away from him and revitalising Yugi's body immediately. The sky grew darker, the city became clearer as did the rest of his surroundings.

Atem rolled on his knees, lifting Yugi's broken body to stand, pushing it to his will with strained effort. He could handle the pain but he understood now why Yugi had been dying... if he had endured this for as long as Yugi had he would have perished as well. Still, he persevered, standing as tall as he could and squaring his shoulders as much as pain would allow, his deep violet gaze burning into his new opponent as he stumbled to his feet.

"Yes, I think it has." Atem said strongly in his own voice from the boys lips.

"Who... who are you?" The man stammered in fear. His once cold, sadistic demeanor was now one of inferiority and naievity. This man was nothing beneath Atems rage.

"The better question is what do you plan on doing now that I can fight back?" Atem asked him. His fury was wild within him, influencing the wind to dance around them. His hair whipped at his face, the blood and sweat dried on his clothes and made his skin cold, but the heat of his anger kept him hot and ready.

"YUGI!"

Their voices cut through the wind like knives as they approached, panting hard upon arrival. He was glad they were here, relieved they were safe but now was not the time to show it. His opponent gathered himself, standing defiantly against him with such resolve in his eyes he anticipated another attack.

"I still have time to stop you Moto. Even with your sudden burst of strength, before the month is out I will kill you before you destroy us all." The man said as his body shimmered and evaporated through a dark, swirling pool of purple magic behind him. In moments he was gone, nothing more than a whisper on the wind.

Sensing the danger to be gone Atem briefly relaxed, but he very quickly regretted this as Yugis body fought him, beating him down as if finally demanding rest.

He fell to his knees, clutching at his side's as they threatened to split open and his warmth was replaced with ice through his veins.

"Yugi?!" His friends called to him again as they slid in beside him.

"Dude we got here as quick as we could." Tristan said quickly.

"That was incredible Yugi how did you push him away like that?" Tea asked as she touched his slouching back.

Atem couldn't answer yet. Until he could grasp the pain no words formed on his lips. Yugi had been feeling this? No... This wasn't nearly as bad as how Yugi had it. What he went through was torture... this was just the result of that.

"No way..." Joey whispered in disbelief. He grabbed Atems face in both his hands and forced eye contact with him, brown eyes locking onto the deepest violet. Shock at first were in his blonde friends eyes, and quickly joy and confusion joined in.

"Atem!" Joey exclaimed loudly.

...

Silence followed his proclamation for longer than it should before Tristan and Tea both screamed in utter surprise.

"Dude what?"

"You can't be..."

"It's him! I'd know those eyes, this posture, his silence any where. Atem, buddy it's you right?" Joey asked him.

"Yes... Yugi needs... help. His body... hospital." Atem said through gritted teeth as gravity pulled him into Joeys arms to collapse against his warm chest.

"Hey!" They exclaimed in worry and concern.

"Come on. He needs a doctor." Joey said as he arranged him onto his back.


	2. 2

Yugi slept peacefully among the hospital sheets, secure in his own private room. He had been here for hours now recovering from the emergency surgeries the hospital needed to perform to save his life. Atem had been resting within his mind beside him, using what was left of his energy to keep Yugi from slipping away. It was a long battle as the doctors did what they could to fix his body to a point where it stopped rejecting him. After he was sure he was safe he allowed himself his own reprieve.

He didn't know what needed to be done to save him, but he knew it was now night time and Yugis body had so many different drugs coursing through his veins it would be hours more before he woke. The various machines attached to him beeped and operated on their own, assisting with water, oxygen, blood replacement... all manner of things. Atem floated by his bed, hands loose beside him as he peered sadly at the boy. Despite the machines, bandages and partially cleaned dirt, sweat and blood, Yugi appeared older now. He didn't have the time to take this in before but now it was quiet, he looked more like did when he took over. His cheeks had thinned as the baby fat had grown out, revealing higher cheekbones and a stronger jaw line, his neck appeared thicker and more prominent. His shoulders were broader and he appeared as if he had taken up at least some gentle exercises to help tone up. He wondered if he was taller too; he looked it but laying down he couldn't be sure. He appeared as Atem once did in his original Egyptian body. It seemed perhaps Yugis post pubescent growth spurt finally hit him in the years that have surely passed.

There were no clocks or calenders in the room, and in his spectral form he was unable to access Yugis phone beside him. He had no idea how long it has been since he left but the man called him an archaeologist... which meant it had been years since they last spoke. Yugi had gone to college and graduated... he was warned by this. He was impressed and so happy for his little partner to have achieved such a feat on his own. He was right to leave, Yugi was fine without him... until now.

The identity of the man troubled him. Yugi had said he was his colleague... but why would a colleague seek to cause him such pain, and how did he accomplish it?

Yugi sighed deeply in his sleep, pulling him away from his train of thought to watch his young counterpart rest. A warm smile pulled at his lips as he watched him. Despite their current circumstance he was glad to be back a part of his life again. The afterlife was nice; resting without a care in the world was welcomed but he admitted that during his time there he'd find himself aware of his loneliness... he was able to see his old friends again, relive moments of his life back in Egypt, revisit memories but there were times he missed Yugi and the friends he made here, even the dangerous adventures they went on.

He hadn't given it a lot of thought when he decided to latch onto Yugi's soul. He saw him in agony, bleeding and broken, dying... how could he have not acted to save his life? It wasn't a decision he needed to think about, it was pure instinct to protect him and forgo his time in the afterlife. He did wonder what would happen after this but if he had learnt anything from the afterlife it was that not everything needed a thought out decision. Even now he didn't regret his decision. If anything, being here again felt right. He was sure of it. This was where he was supposed to be.

Gravity lifted on his mind, allowing him to stir through the fatigue to world around him. He was greeted by a dimmed room, lit by the morning light of orange clouds and blue sky. Beeping to his right caught his attention, aiding in waking him up and when he looked around he saw the various hospital machines hooked up to him, monitoring his vitals and fluid levels.

'How did I get here?' He wondered.

"Our friends brought us here."

His skin grew cold the moment he heard the voice and immediately he looked to see him standing by the window, arms crossed as he leant against the wall as he always used to, despite being spectral and not actually leaning on anything.

He could see him clearly now, half visible by the window. His tricoloured hair, his tanned skin and oddly a hospital gown... his violet eyes and warm smile put him at ease.

So many emotions coursed through him it was difficult to catch up but there was one emotion he felt coming from his partner: warmth of love and happiness, relief... He was happy to see him, confused as to why he was here, annoyed that he must have ignored the conversation that must have taken place but relieved he did so regardless.

As he shifted through these emotions Atem's smile widened in amusement. Yugi laughed weakly, shaking his head in disbelief as Atem floated over to sit at the end of his bed, crossing his legs just as he used to.

"You're here." Yugi said. He knew he was here but he just needed to hear it said aloud to reaffirm the fact.

"Yes." Atem nodded. He was giving his partner time to register this; he could feel the shocked blankness of his mind and as he stumbled over the hundreds of thoughts running circles around him he couldn't help but find it adorable.

"Okay... so that conversation we had was real?" Yugi asked him.

"Yes... if you call that a conversation." Atem nodded.

"I... don't remember a lot of what happened."

"You were dying. I heard you screaming and felt your presence so I came to find you. I followed you back to this plane where you were being tortured by a man."

"You were telling me to keep fighting." Yugi said as the memories came back to him... "You were trying to help me but I remember telling you needed to rest..."

"Yes I ignored that. I'm not sorry." Atem said shrugging. Yugi could feel his playful nature coming through despite how serious this decision was for him.

"Why? Atem I don't know how to send you back to the after life, if you're here then you could be stuck here for a really really long time. I mean... perhaps the rest of my life. Are you sure you know what you're doing by being here?" Yugi asked. Atem frowned and sighed. He felt a twang of pain coming from him but his determination was as strong as ever.

"Truth be told I didn't think about it. I didn't have time to weigh the risks. You were dying Yugi. I wasn't going to just let it happen. I couldn't allow that man to do cause you that much pain any longer than he already had. Yugi... you'd have done the same for anyone else if you saw the ones you care for being tortured to death."

"Yeah but Atem this is your after life we're talking about. You've completed your destiny, you're done, you deserve to rest in peace, not be stuck here with me."

"You say that like thats a bad thing." Atem chuckled. It annoyed Yugi that he wasn't taking this seriously. Atem seemed to notice his shift in emotions and sighed. "Do you want me to return to the afterlife?"

This question took him by surprise. Not for the question itself but the pain behind the words. It struck a nerve feeling like he might have hurt him somehow.

"T-this isn't about what I want. This is about what you want and deserve."

Atem stood, facing away from him and seemingly mulling over his next words. He turned to him after a short while, a sad smile masking the raw emotion he rarely showed.

"There is a difference between what I want and what I deserve." He said.

Yugi was confused by this... what was he saying? Atem seemed to sense his confusion and he looked for different words to say.

"Yugi do you know why I went to the afterlife?"

"Because you were entitled to it. You've been trapped on this plane for 3000 years without an idea of who you were. You finally got your memories back, defended the world time and time again. There is no one more deserving to rest in eternal peace than you. Returning to the afterlife signified the completion of your destiny so that you wouldn't have to worry ever again. It was like retiring." Yugi said as if that answer was the only answer. What else could there have been?

Atem smiled and immediately Yugi felt his answer was wrong.

"That's not wrong but not the reason why I left." Yugi frowned in confusion. "My destiny was to regain my memories and put an end to Bakura and his evil scheming once and for all. It said nothing about returning to the afterlife."

"But-"

"In order to enter the afterlife I needed to lose a duel. That would open the door because it would have proved there was nothing left the world needed me for. It signified, as you put it, that I was done. But in saying that just because the world no longer needed me didn't mean I wanted to leave."

"You didn't want to leave?" Yugi asked meekly. Something in him resonated with Atem but he wasn't sure what it was... Yugi had immediately thrown up a defensive wall against him as he sifted through his emotions and waited for his response. He chose to ignore it for now, he was sure as they kept talking he'd figure out what it was.

"No Yugi. I never wanted to leave myself."

"Then... why did you leave? If you were entitled to leave but didn't want to, then... why?"

"I didn't want to get in your way of having a life of your own. Winning the duel against me didn't just allow me to pass through if I chose to but it also signified that you were ready to let me go. You didn't need me either and if I chose to stay I was afraid I would be imposing on you. I chose to leave not because I wanted rest but because I didn't want to burden you more than I already had."

"Atem..." Yugi laughed sadly, shaking his head in dismay. His laughter confused him... he was being serious. "You helped me in more ways than I ever thought possible. Despite how stressful our adventures were I never wished for anything else. You were never a burden on me and you never could have been. Spending the rest of my life with you would have been the absolute best."

Atems eyes widened at the revelation. He felt hope that he had heard what he heard and that Yugi meant what he had just said.

"I never wanted you to go. I might have won the duel against you and yeah I've spent the last several years without you but I never wanted you to go. If I had it my way I never would have sent you away." Yugi continued.

"You... never..." Atem stammered... he was lost for words. That was a first. Yugi giggled.

"So... I guess we were both thinking about the other without actually asking what it was we wanted." Yugi said.

"It seems so. I never wanted to leave but I thought I'd be holding you back from moving on and ..."

"I never wanted you to leave but I thought that completing your destiny you might have wanted to finally rest." Yugi finished for him.

"Well... I'm here now." Atem shrugged. He felt foolish but more than that he felt relieved that Yugi didn't want him gone. Not that he knew how to leave now but it was good to know he wasn't overstepping.

"I'm glad you're here. More than I think I can accurately express. And... not just because you saved my life. Winning the duel might have signified I didn't need you to live my life anymore but I guess I still do." Yugi said, half sadly.

"There's nothing wrong with needing your friends Yugi. Just because you don't need me in the same way as you used to doesn't mean you won't ever need anyone else ever again."

"That's not wrong." Yugi smiled.


	3. 3

"So... now that we have that cleared up... that man. You said he was your colleague?" Atem asked.

"Yes." Yugi said. He opened his mouth to explain further when the door opened, interrupting them.

A nurse walked in, gently poking her head through first to see he was awake. She smiled upon seeing him and approached him kindly.

"Good morning Mr. Moto. It's good to see you awake. My names Omoi but you can call me Rika if you like. I'm just going to check some things, is there anything you would like?" She asked as she took the clipboard from the end of the bed.

"No I'm fine thank you. Can I ask what my condition is?" Yugi asked politely. He tried to sit himself up on his elbows but the pain in his ribs restricted him greatly. She saw him struggle though, pushed him down gently and took the remote off the wall.

"Here. This will help." She giggled. Pressing a button the top half of the bed began to lift. He felt a little ridiculous but he greatly appreciated sitting up now. She smiled sweetly and showed him which buttons to press for what, including which one would call for assistance.

"You have 3 broken ribs, a cracked skull, bruised muscles and some trauma throughout your body. I don't know what you've been through but it appears you were tortured. Do you remember what happened?" She asked as she wrote down something on the clipboard.

"No. If I was tortured I guess it's good I don't remember." Yugi joked confidently. She set the board down and took out a flashlight, covering one of his eyes and shining the light in the other. He winced but she seemed satisfied with his result.

"You're still concussed but that's expected. Any memory loss is expected considering how you came in. You've had 3 surgeries since coming in. One to set your ribs which came dangerously close to puncturing a lung, I'm amazed you were even able to breathe. Another to stop the internal bleeding and another to relieve pressure on your skull." She said.

"Wow I don't feel a thing." Yugi said kindly. He felt Atem smiling but he also felt his concern rising as he heard the extent of his injuries. Apparently he didn't know how bad it was.

"You currently have two types of pain suppressants coursing through you. You're likely not going to feel anything for another few hours." She said sweetly.

"How long have I been here?"

"Two days. Likely going to be staying here tonight too unless the doctor sees fit to release you." She said sweetly.

Yugi's heart raced.

"Two days!?" He asked her, his voice breaking. He looked to Atem leaning now against a wall, his arms crossed as he normally was. He shrugged apologetically and Yugi relaxed. He was disappointed he'd been asleep for so long but he understood why. His condition wasn't entirely light.

"Yep. Actually remarkable you're awake now. If I'm completely honest there was a good chance the trauma to your head might have been too great. We didn't expect you to wake up for a while yet, if at all."

"Right..." Yugi said quietly. He felt fine. He felt tightness, a bit of pain in places to be expected but on the whole he felt fine. He felt good enough to leave now... he couldn't quite understand how his condition was as bad as she described.

"You must have a guardian angel looking after you. You're very lucky Mr. Moto."

"Thank you." Yugi smiled. He glanced at Atem smiling deeply. It made sense now. If Atem hadn't attached himself to him perhaps his condition would have been so much worse. If he had survived on his own it was possible he'd still be asleep, likely not recovering as quickly as he was. Again he found himself grateful for Atem's need to step in.

"A nurse will be around with breakfast in an hour. Is there anything specifically you would like?" Rika asked.

"No I'm okay thank you. Do you know when the doctor will be around?"

"Shortly before visiting hours. About 2 hours." She said sweetly. "Can I interest you in another blanket, perhaps the remote for the TV? I can close the window if you'd like to sleep or anything you might want to make yourself more comfortable?" She asked.

"Thank you but I should be okay. If I need anything I'll buzz." Yugi said kindly. She bowed her head sweetly and left, closing the door behind her.

"2 days...?" Yugi asked out loud.

"You've been completely unresponsive until now. I couldn't even reach you inside your mind. Your doors' been locked this whole time." Atem said.

"I'm sorry. I'm sure I've worried everyone." Yugi sighed.

"A bit yes. Everyone's been staying positive though I can tell they're trying to stay hard for one another. They'll be so relieved when they come see you today."

"They've been here then?"

"Do you think they wouldn't?" Atem laughed with him. "How long has it been since I left?"

"6 years. Almost 7 in a month." Yugi said.

"6 ... years. Right."

"I'm worried about 2 days." Yugi laughed. "There's a lot to catch you up on."

"You're an archaeologist?" Atem asked with a smirk.

"... Yes." Yugi said bashfully. He felt the pride emanating from Atem that it embarrassed him. He was proud of his accomplishments but he was still humble about it. "I'm currently doing a degree in Egyptology and my PhD in Anthropology."

"That's very impressive Yugi. I'm so proud of you." Atem gushed, oozing with pride and happiness for him that made him laugh nervously, blushing wildly.

"Thank you. It's been a long ride."

"So then this colleague of yours is an archaeologist as well?" Atem asked.

"Yes. His names Leon Takehisa. He specialises in Assyriology and we've worked closely together for the last 2 years or so."

"2 years... he seemed to really have it in for you." Atem said. He seemed to be troubled as his eyes were cast downwards in thought. Yugi understood why, not even he foresaw Leon's actions.

"Until recently he was in Syria. He came back... a few days ago now... claiming that he had seen the future and that if he didn't kill me I would bring about ruin to the world."

"I see..." Atem said slowly. He shared his sentiment; seeing the future wasn't exactly something Yugi believed either. "When I confronted him he seemed to immediately recognise that I wasn't you. He left quickly after that through what appeared to be some kind of magic portal."

Yugi cocked an eyebrow in puzzlement... it wasn't too big of a surprise considering how he was able to invoke that much pain onto him but it still seemed odd.

"Before he left though he mentioned he had a month still to stop you." Atem continued.

"A month. Whatever it is I supposedly do must happen next month. Which means I don't have time to just lay here." Yugi said as he attempted to lift himself up enough to swing his legs around. Immediately though he felt tugging at his arms and hands as the wires and various tubes kept him restrained. His ribs tightened around him and he felt as if he clenched something inside him he shouldn't have.

"I wouldn't move if I were you." Atem told him cautiously. He moved in a way that suggested he would have tried to hold him down, not that he could in his spectral form. Still Yugi heeded his advice, relaxing once again and allowing his body the rest it wanted.

"Yeah... there's not a lot I can do like this I guess..." Yugi sighed as his body relaxed.

"You should rest some more. You've been through a lot." Atem said gently, with a hint of sadness Yugi couldn't ignore. He reached out to him with his mind, imagining himself touching his shoulder to cheer him up. Atem seemed to feel this as he blinked and then smiled to him softly.

"I'm sorry, I just wish there was more I could do for you to speed this up." Atem said.

"You've been doing just that pal. You heard what the nurse said. If it wasn't for you I'd still be in a critical condition. Believe it or not you're helping more than you realise." Yugi said kindly. He felt Atem's mood lift and relieved he was able to help him feel content again Yugi began to feel tired again.

"I am going to take a nap though. You should probably rest as well, I'm sure you're tired of me taking your energy away." Yugi laughed weakly.

"I could never be tired of you Yugi." Atem said sweetly though with one last smile he did fade off into nothingness.

He was worried though, he could feel him close by, nestled within his own corner of his mind, relaxing as he should be. He was taking his advice... Yugi smiled. There's a first for everything.


	4. 4

Pain. Pain immeasurable erupted from his skin. Pure heat melted his veins, oozing through his pores as it threatened to rip his skin apart. His eyes felt ready to pop and his heart bled ribbons of lava through his body.

He heard the laughter swallowing him, echoing through his mind, tormenting him endlessly before all of a sudden his world was deafeningly silent. He stood among a white void of nothingness... he felt no pain, no heat nor cold... he felt nothing. He saw nothing. He heard nothing. There was just... nothing.... Until the nothing became something below him. He saw the world; his city and further in his friends and family. Living their lives... except he wasn't there. They spoke and laughed and played and moved on with their lives... without him. He was happy they were happy but did they not miss him? He had helped them so much and yet they let him go... maybe... maybe they would be fine if he died. Perhaps the world would be safe. After all if no one is looking, would the world know if he turned his back?

"Yugi?" He heard a voice jolt him awake and for a dazed moment he was greeted by a silhouette of an older man. It took him a moment to realise that this man dressed in white was his doctor and as the land of the waking world took over he shook off the dream he had just had. Atem was still safe inside though he felt... bothered. He tried reaching out to him to comfort him, pull him out if he could but he felt a slight resistance against him. It wasn't as if he was shutting him out, but more like he was unreachable at the moment... perhaps he was sleeping too.

"I'm sorry to wake you. You obviously need the rest. I'm Dr. Kuwai. I've been overseeing your recovery. Nurse Omoi tells me you were wide eyed and bushy tailed earlier. Thats good to hear. And your readings are impressive. You recover quickly."

"Thank you." Yugi said absent mindedly, yawning with slight difficulty as the strain on his ribs was becoming a bit more real now.

"I'm going to ask you some questions. First off, on a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being no pain and 10 being kill me, what is your pain score?"

"Uhh... about 3? I feel mostly uncomfortable than in any pain."

"Would you like to lower the bed?"

"Sure.... I think it's mostly just tightness in the ribs though." Yugi said. The Doctor took the remote regardless and lowered him down. Yugi adjusted himself to become more comfortable and immediately felt the pressure on his chest lifting.

"Thats better thank you."

"How's your memory? Do you remember what happened?"

"Not entirely. I was with a colleague. We had a falling out of sorts."

"And he tortured you? That's some falling out." Dr. Kuwai laughed.

"I don't remember."

The Doctor shined a torch in his eyes before feeling the back of his skill and moving his head around.

"The concussion is easing quicker than I expected. I'd like you to stay again tonight but I will get you to move around later today. We'll take a few X-rays and I think an ultra-sound to check the bleeding. I've already taken a fresh blood sample so I'll get that tested before tonight. At your rate of recovery you should be right to go home tomorrow. If your memory doesn't return before then I'll take a CAT scan and send you off but it should return to you in time." Dr. Kuwai said kindly.

"Okay... Is there any chance I can come home tonight?"

"We'll see how you move later. In the meantime, your friends and family are here. They're very keen to see you. Breakfast is still here too, I recommend you eat the desert... the rest is ... well there's much to be desired." Dr. Kuwai laughed and left the room.

"Atem, are you okay?" Yugi asked internally. He felt a warmth reach him, assuring him that he didn't need to worry but he was content to stay within him for a bit longer. He didn't want to push, he knew he'd come to him eventually but still... he reached back, a silent comforting gesture to let him know he was here for him before Grandpa and his friends happily and carefully came into his room.

"YUGI!" They exclaimed happily upon seeing him awake.

"Hey guys." He said kindly. Seeing their faces smiling at him made him feel a lot more comfortable now, especially considering the dream he had woken from. He was foolish to think they'd move on so seamlessly without him.

"How you feeling dude?" Tristan asked.

Grandpa came around to him to touch his cheek, leaning in to rest his forehead against his in a touching reunion of love and relief.

"I'm okay considering. A bit tired but I just woke up again. How are you guys?" Yugi asked.

"We've been worried sick about you." Tea said as she took his hand gently.

"I knew you'd pull through." Joey said proudly as he puffed out his chest and raised his chin to the ceiling.

"You big lug you were crying more than grandpa." Tea elbowed him in the ribs to which he keeled over. Yugi laughed despite the restriction on his lungs.

Yugi felt Atem's presence then and saw him make himself comfortable at the end of his bed, sitting cross legged as usual.

"Would you like to say hi?" Yugi asked him internally.

He smiled and waved him down. "You should have your time with them." He said politely. Something was off though, he still seemed bothered by something, though in need of distraction. Perhaps watching them would make him feel more at ease.

"I'm told you guys brought me in. I don't remember in detail what happened before that but thank you for finding me when you did. I owe you guys so much for saving my life." Yugi said, making sure Atem knew he was including him in that speech too. He felt a warmth come from him... good... he knew.

"No problem Yug. I'm sure the Pharoah had something to do with it too right?" Joey said matter of factly. Yugi blinked in surprise.

"Yeah how is he?" Tristan asked.

"We haven't had the chance to speak with him while you've been asleep. Is he still here?" Tea asked.

"They know?" Yugi asked him silently.

"I took over your body remember? They showed up while you were out and recognised me immediately. I told them you need help and from there I think I passed out too." Atem explained.

"Yes he's here. I was going say so but he's a bit tired at the moment too. He says hi." Yugi giggled. He could feel Atem's appreciation which comforted him. Slowly he was coming back.

"Hey buddy! Can't wait to catch up." Joey said. "He can hear us right?"

"Yes. He's right here." Yugi laughed.

"Wait we're not on him are we?" Grandpa began to panic to which Tea and Joey both moved just in case.

Atem giggled and Yugi held his laughter as he watched them move around.

"You guys are fine. He's sitting on the bed." Yugi explained.

"Oh..." They calmed down immediately, resuming their positions before. Joey bent over, as if trying to see Atem but no matter how much he squinted he saw nothing but space.

"Am I lookin at him?"

"Currently he's messing around with your hair." Yugi joked to which Joey jumped backwards as if afraid to get bitten.

"Really?" Atem asked him in feigned annoyance to which Yugi couldn't help but giggle at him.

"So Yug, what's the verdict then?" Tristan asked him.

"Few tests to do later but I'm either coming home tonight or tomorrow." Yugi said.

"Wow so quick!" Joey exclaimed excitedly.

"That's my Yugi. Can't keep him down for long." Grandpa said proudly.

"Ain't that the truth. So... we've been meaning to ask. What happened?" Tea asked him.

"Yeah Yug. We were supposed to meet up for lunch right?" Joey asked.

"Yeah I was on my way. I had a meeting at the university. Leon returned from his trip in Syria."

"Oh how is he?" Tea asked.

Immediately he felt Atem's apprehension grow... he knew if he had the chance he'd have some kind of comment to make but seeing as only Yugi would hear him all he did was shift uncomfortably, holding in his comments.

"He's ... different. He spent the majority of the meeting silent, when we were finished I was on my way to meet you guys when he stopped me. He confronted me about my work and claimed that if I don't quit what I'm working on then he's going to need to stop me himself."

"Wait... what?" Tristan asked.

"Is he jealous?" Grandpa asked.

"He claims to be trying to save the world. Apparently while he was away he saw the future and in this future I am going to discover something next month that will bring ruin to the world."

"What?"

"What did you do then?"

"I didn't believe him. I told him he needs to take some time off and if he needed any help then I would listen to him. But he grabbed me. He was serious and thats when I saw something in his eyes... some kind of ... malevolence. He was dangerous and instinctively I just knew I needed to get away from him. I don't know what happened, it happened way too quickly but one moment he's warning me to quit, the next he's accessed some kind of dark power, demanding I quit. I insisted he needed help and he only became angrier. I managed to get away from him but he attacked. He got in my head, changed my surroundings... I don't know what he did but he tortured me for what felt like years. He showed me the world burning, people dying and claiming that if I don't quit then this would happen. He didn't give me the choice to make a decision though, everything he did and said burned. Everything just... blended in together I don't even know how to follow what happened. I was just in so much pain.

I'm pretty sure I actually don't remember most of it now but the next thing I do remember is us being back in the city where we had been, likely where you guys found me, and I was on the ground, slipping in and out of consciousness. I was dying... I knew that... he was trying to kill me. He wasn't even trying to make me quit anymore, he was going for the kill but in the slowest way possible."

"No way..." Tea whispered, wide eyed and hand covering her mouth.

"What the ..."

"Are you serious?" Joey and Tristan asked in complete shock.

"Yeah..." Yugi said quietly. Now that he told the story he felt the gravity of the situation all over again. He didn't have time to register before the betrayal, and now he did it hurt him deeply. Leon had been his friend; they shared much of the same ideas and concepts, often built upon each other and helping one another not just as archaeologists but as people. He saw a good friend in him... to come back out of the blue, so suddenly and immediately try to kill him for a discovery he hadn't made yet, and so sadistically as if they hadn't been friends at all...

'What you do is deserving of this.' His words rang in his mind like a church bell, deafening all other sounds except the music of Atem's voice bringing him back to reality. In an instant Atem was beside him, touching his cheek to shake him from the memory about to consume him. He felt tired so suddenly, overcome with raw emotion that all he desired now was to hide within himself.

"Let me take over for a bit. Get some rest." Atem told him gently, with eyes so kind he could find complete safety within them.

"Are you sure?" Yugi asked him in a voice weaker than he'd hoped. It seemed even his body was betraying him now. The stray thought sealed the deal as his heart reacted, recoiling from the self-inflicted wound.

"Go on. I've got your back."

Yugi agreed to switch places with him, slipping out of the captains chair as easily as breathing and hastily making himself scarce as Atem took his place effortlessly. He felt for Yugi safe inside his room, one last touch of comfort to ease his mind before he met the gazes of his friends who were all waiting for more of the story.

"I'm sorry. Yugi needed some rest. But I can take fill you in from here." He told them.

"Atem!" They exclaimed happily.


	5. 5

"Is Yugi okay?" Grandpa asked him urgently. Atem offered his strongest smile, but even then he too was worried for him. The trauma he's been through was a lot deeper ingrained than he put on.

"He will be I'm sure, it's just... the torture he endured was intense... a lot more than he would care to admit, and to come from a friend no less... I'm afraid this is a lot more serious than he's letting on. I believe he's denying the severity even to himself." Atem said honestly. He was glad Yugi was in his room right now, there was no way he'd allow Atem to tell them this had he been present.

"I thought it would be. I've seen his charts, the physical trauma is a lot worse than he's making it seem. Home by tonight? That's optimistic." Tea said.

"But this is Yug we're talking about. He's the toughest guy we know." Joey said.

It warmed Atem to hear him say this.

"I agree of course. Physically I think his recovery will go smoothly. I wouldn't be terribly surprised if he is allowed home tonight. But mentally and emotionally... I think there's a lot he's repressing." Atem said.

"Repressing? Like memories?" Tristan asked.

Atem nodded.

"I didn't see the entire encounter. I came into the picture about the time he started blacking out, drifting in and out of consciousness, as he put it. He wasn't just drifting from consciousness though, he was visiting the afterlife, being repelled and pulled back to his body. He was dying... that's how I found him. I heard his cries and felt his presence and I went to find him at the thinnest part of the veil between the living world and the world beyond. He couldn't stay anchored to this plane and the more he appeared in the afterlife the harder it would become to keep fighting. So I followed him back and anchored him down. I took hold of his body, used my own power to fight this Leon back, and he left. You guys saw him leave and you were there when I took control. Just moments before you arrived he was dying."

Tea clapped her hands to her mouth as tears began to well in her eyes. Her cheeks were red, her eyes were wet but she contained herself as best as she can. Tristan looked at the bed in dismay, wrapping his head around the whole situation while Joey appeared furious, his knuckles white as she shook with contained rage. He empathised with them all, having felt each of their emotions already.

Grandpa nodded as if deciding something, grabbing their attention quickly with his determined eyes and brave smile.

"He's safe now. And thanks to our young Pharoah we have him back. And he has all of us to help him recover. Anything he needs, we'll all be there for him. He's a Moto, which means there's nothing that can keep us down for long, Yugi is no exception. He'll stand again and fight for a brighter future. Thats what we Moto's do best after all." Grandpa said cheerfully.

"I admire your positivity Gramps... you're right. Whatever Yug needs, we'll be there. And the same goes for you too Atem. Whatever you need, we'll do our darndest to make sure you get it." Joey said confidently, turning that rage of his into a positive force.

"Speaking of... you said you followed him back and then anchored him down. Does that mean you can't return to the spirit world?" Tristan asked.

"Oh my god, he's right. Atem what about your rest. The after life?" Tea asked.

"I have been through this with Yugi already and it seems we were all on different pages while also thinking about one another. I never wanted to leave, and he never wanted me to go, but we were both thinking about the other without actually asking what we wanted and assumed that me leaving was the best thing to do." Atem chuckled.

"You never wanted to leave?" Joey asked.

"Then why'd you go man?"

"I left because I didn't want to get in the way. I thought that because Yugi had won our duel it meant that he no longer needed me, and if I stayed I'd only get in the way of him being able to live his life." Atem explained simply.

"Oh dude. If only you knew how much he missed you... how much we all missed you. We all took it hard, it was difficult to remember you weren't around but Yugi..." Joey began.

"Yugi took it the hardest." Grandpa agreed.

"Given Yugi's current state of denial I wouldn't be surprised if what he told me was putting it lightly." Atem assumed in attempt to get someone to tell him the truth.

"He quit dueling for about 4 years... his last duel was against Kaiba and he lost... he says he didn't intend to lose but when he did he decided to retire from it. About 2 years ago he started playing casually with us again but he's not entered in any tournaments or anything." Joey shrugged.

"We actually lost contact with him after that duel, he went completely silent for about 4 months. He wouldn't see us..." Tea said.

"He barely left his room. I had to have the kids drag him outside just so he could see how much he was worrying everyone." Grandpa said.

"We got him onto counselling after that and made sure he went. His councellors say he was suffering from deep mourning and grief." Tristan chimed in.

"It got to a point that for a while he was on anti-depressants and close watch." Grandpa said.

"Actually he really started becoming himself again after Pegasus generously sent him a scholarship for Archaeology and a project to work on." Tea said.

"A project?"

"Pegasus had heard that there were archaeologists in Egypt searching for artifacts on the Nameless King." Joey said, emphasising the nickname given to him.

"Yugi made it his goal to find the Items before anyone else did because very few knew their power. He spent the next 4 years working towards being the one to locate the items before anyone else did." Tristan added.

"And did he?" Atem asked.

"He did. Right now they're kept safe in a location that only he and his boss at the Museum knows about." Grandpa said with an aura of pride.

Atem smiled. He was sad to hear how deeply his departure had cut him but he was glad he picked himself back up... he would need to talk to him about it later though, if anything just to clear the air. He didn't want any secrets between them.

"So all this time, he might have avoided all that if we had just known that you didn't want to leave?" Tristan asked.

"It seems so. I only left so that I wouldn't get in the way of your lives... he tells me he believed I wanted to rest after having spent so long in the puzzle. While that wasn't entirely wrong, being trapped in the puzzle wasn't so bad. I got to spend my days with you guys in the end despite our adventures. Having learned my memories and saved the world from Bakura, closing those ends, I'm sure I could have lived the rest of eternity in the puzzle... but then I suppose now I think about it, this works out better. If I had stayed in the puzzle and lived among you until the end of your days I would still be in the puzzle when you all passed. At least this way, I can be with you until at least Yugi passes... which hopefully will not be for a very long time yet." Atem said.

"Fingers crossed." Joey said with a cheeky wink.

"It all works out in the end. And we're so glad you're back!" Tristan said happily.

"Yeah. We've missed you so much. We've got so much to tell you! So much has happened in the last 6 years!" Tea said excitedly.

Atem smiled. He felt excited to hear their stories, though part of him wished to check on Yugi first.

As if to answer his call Yugi floated out from him to sit crosslegged on the bed, leaning back against the headrest beside him with his hands politely in his lap. He smiled warmly at him, his light lavender eyes sparkling with such youth again that it comforted him immediately.

"Do you want to take over?" Atem asked him aloud. The others were silent, seemingly noticing that Atem had spoken to the wall beside him.

"Is that Yugi?" Tea asked.

"No I'm good. I'm just here to listen." Yugi smiled.

"Yes and he's good to listen." Atem said softly. He felt Yugi's kindness and warmth comforting him, as if emotionally snuggling against him. He enjoyed this feeling and allowed it to soothe any worries he had before.


	6. 6

For the next two hours they regaled him in the highlights of the years that had passed with such excitement and enthusiasm. It was entertaining to learn that Tristan now owned a bike shop and had done some apprenticing of his own as a mechanic. His bikes were all custom and fitted for whatever was needed. He designed them for racing, for every day use, for grand enthusiast shows, even Kaiba had dabbled into his business for merging his designs into his dueling arena's. It wasn't a big hit but there were some hardcore fans that kept the idea worth keeping.

Joey's career in dueling had him and Mai on tours together some times, though primarily he worked as a Personal Duel instructor while Mai attended tournaments as a dueling idol. They had been together for 5 years now and just 2 months ago did Joey pop the question. They hadn't set a date yet, but they were very excited to start planning. Atem was so happy to hear this as Joey gushed about how grand their wedding would be.

Tea's dancing had taken her to stardom. She was an idol in her own pop group, with fans and videos and her own manager. Sometimes she would need to go out with a hoodie just to keep the paparazzi off her but she loved it so much. Her dream was to do tours of the world and she was working towards it. For now, tours around Japan was keeping her satisfied.

He was so proud of each of them... it seems in the last 6 years they really had taken steps to move on with their lives. He was happy to be back, and he sensed their sincerity when they told him they wished he could have been around to see it. He just hoped now that he would be around to watch the rest of their lives unfold... though it did make him wonder what his life would be like had he a body of his own... what was his place now? He knew Yugi wanted him to stay, and he wanted to stay as well, but realistically what would he do? Joey's getting married, Tristan has a successful business, Tea's a pop idol and Yugi's a young archaeologist with an aspiring future ahead of him... what would he do if Yugi found someone to settle down with? Would he be a third wheel? He couldn't allow himself to be a part of it... and what if Yugi kept himself from experiencing these things because Atem was present? He didn't regret saving his life but what would happen now?

"We'll cross that when we come to it." Yugi told him gently.

Atem blinked in surprise... he forgot he could hear him some times.

"I've already thought about this too. When we get out of here, I've an idea I'd like to revisit but I can't do anything from in here." He continued.

"What kind of idea?" Atem asked him internally.

"It needs more thinking. I still don't know if it will work. Try not to worry about it right now, I'll let you know what I come up with. Trust me." Yugi winked.

His curiosity was deep... but he trusted him all the same.

"This wouldn't have anything to do with the discovery next month, would it?" Atem asked him.

Yugi giggled and shook his head no.

"Technically I've already made this discovery. I made it 3 years ago... I just need to run through some simulations and make sure I haven't missed anything." Yugi said cheerfully.

"Okay. Then I trust you." Atem said jokingly.

The door opened then and in came Doctor Kuwai from earlier. He pleasantly said hello to everyone, cheerfully making small talk with them as he wrote down some things on his clipboard.

Atem and Yugi silently switched places as the doctor explained that he needed to borrow Yugi for a bit while they ran some tests. They agreed to leave him for a bit and come visit him again later but they stayed a bit longer as the doctor and nurses helped him to stand.

Atem was hovering close by, as if wanted to catch him if he fell, but they took it slowly.

One foot off the bed, two ... then a rest as he sat up without support. His ribs were constricting his movements and his head was swimming from the sudden change of position but he muscled through it.

He had the support of the doctor and nurses as he stood for the first time in days, taking each step slowly to regain his sense of balance.

"You good man?" Joey asked him carefully.

"Yeah... I'm just... so tall." Yugi said breathlessly. They laughed at his joke and told him they'd be around later. Grandpa hugged him gently, careful not to push him over and left with the kids. Now it was just him, the staff and Atem floating close by.

"You know you'd probably be able to walk a lot easier than I can." Yugi joked with him internally as they walked slowly down the hall, holding onto the nurses hand gently for just a little support.

"Yes but then your tests wouldn't be accurate." Atem joked.

The Xrays were taken very quickly, both of his ribs, back and skull. He was sure they took what they needed but he was surprised at how quickly they took them all. Atem watch in silence in the corner of the room and it wasn't until Yugi was asked to put his robe back on that he joined him again from the shadows. Though Yugi was aware of his presence the entire time.

"When did you get a tattoo?" Atem asked him quietly. Yugi blushed... he forgot to tell him the tattoo on his left shoulderblade was for him... the tone in Atem's voice wasn't one of disapproval... infact he seemed almost sad... but he didn't know why. If anything he thought he might have been flattered by the tattoo he chose.

"It was shortly after decided to go after the Millenium Items. I knew I'd need a little extra strength and during that time I was feeling particularly low... I knew if you were around you'd have my back so I thought it'd be appropriate to have your name written on the puzzle behind me." Yugi explained to him internally.

"Thank you Yugi." Atem said quietly before he disappeared inside him. Confused Yugi reached out to him but Atem had retreated far enough back he got the impression he didn't want to be found... so he left him be to think or rest or whatever it is he needed, leaving the door open for him so he knew it'd be okay to come out when he wanted to.

He wondered if he hurt him some how... was it wrong to do so? He didn't think Atem was against tattoo's and he was 100% positive he'd gotten the name right.

He pushed it from his mind for now, whatever it was he was sure to ask him about it later when he returned.

The MRI was next, followed by the ultrasound on his stomach and back. After that his tests would need to be examined but for now he was welcome to return to his room to shower for the first time in days. The nurses had done what they could but a good shower was what he needed.


	7. 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This chapter contains talk of self harm. I will be putting trigger warnings before and after this so if you have experience or are trigger-able from such talk, please scroll through. I do not wish to offend anyone who has experienced similar episodes or experiences, self harm and depression are very serious issues however I have included such in this story to give a more 'real' touch to the development. If this is not your thing, that's okay, you may scroll through.

He enjoyed standing on his own now, with only limited mobility mind but enough that he could wash his hair and body without assistance. Feeling the warm water run down his skin was soothing... and closing his eyes he felt as if he was back home already. He hoped he'd be allowed to come home tonight. He didn't see the point in resting here if he was allowed home tomorrow. He was able to walk and stand on his own... he didn't see a reason to stay here any longer. The pain medication they kept giving him was strong... he knew once it wore down he'd need to take something weaker... so perhaps the reason he was kept here was because the pain medication was masking the severity of his injuries... he didn't doubt there was likely damage he could do because he currently couldn't feel that much pain... but if all he was doing was resting well he could do that at home.

He sighed as the water made his hair lick his face and cling to his skin. His hair was getting long again... he'd need to get it trimmed soon if he wanted to keep his style.

He was drying his hair in nothing but his hospital trackpants when Atem decided to come forth again, eyes downcast. Something was bothering him... and it made him nervous. Something had been bothering him earlier too but since then he had cheered up... he wondered what could possibly be going through his mind and what might have triggered such an emotional response.

"Yugi." Atem said distantly, refusing to look at him.

"Hey, are you okay? What's wrong?" Yugi asked him as he draped the towel over his shoulders. He thought that if it had been the tattoo then making sure he couldn't see it in the mirror might help.

"Nothing's wrong... just... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause you such pain when I left." He said sadly.

"I thought we'd been through this. It's okay buddy, I mean we both had each others best interest in mind." Yugi said sweetly, trying to get into his view. Atem looked away from him more though, frown lines forming on his forehead as he struggled internally.

*** TRIGGER WARNING ***

"They told me how you took it when I left. How you quit dueling and shut yourself away, that you needed counselling and medication and you were on some kind of 'watch'... I didn't know what that meant but then I saw the scars.... I know of self-inflicted pain Yugi and it hurts to know I hurt you so much. I know it's been years but I just... I wanted to say that I'm so sorry." Atem was almost in tears by this point, and seeing him like this only hurt his own heart more. He didn't tell him about how he dealt with his loss for this very reason; he wasn't proud of what he had done and never wanted to hurt him like this. He just... didn't know what else to do at the time.

Yugi reached out to him but he felt him retreating. Under other circumstances he'd have allowed him to but this time he imposed, taking his hand and forcing him to touch the scars upon his arms.

He could feel Atems tension and discomfort but that was exactly what he didn't want him to feel. This was difficult for him too, but he needed Atem to know him.

"I should have been the one to tell you. These scars don't reflect the pain I felt when you left. These scars reflect how foolish I was to think I was nothing without you. Everyone asked me how I was doing, almost constantly to a point that I became terrified to leave my room. The expectancy people had when they looked at me as if I was supposed to break down in tears because you were gone, the image of me they had in their mind that I was some dependant child without his guardian angel to hold his hand everywhere he went. I hated it so much I distanced myself to avoid the looks, the questions pretty much everything. Before I knew it leaving my bedroom actually became terrifying. I slept all day just so I could leave my room when Grandpa was asleep."

"Yugi this isn't helping." Atem said stiffly.

"Just listen. That's when I gave myself these. Not because you were gone, but because I realised how weak I had allowed myself to become. I was frustrated at how terrified I had become." Yugi moved his hand to the other side of his arm to a much deeper scar.

"This was when I lost to Kaiba. At the time I completely believed that without you I couldn't do anything. I won against you during the ceremonial duel but I still had you with me. During the duel with Kaiba I was completely outmatched."

"Yugi you may have lost but that doesn't reflect your capabilities at all." Atem interrupted.

"I know... now. At the time though that's what I believed. That's when I retired from dueling... I needed to find myself again. Without you I felt like I had lost who I was. I was in despair, I was angry and I was scared. But most of all I felt like not only had I let myself down that day but I had let you down as well. If you had been watching you might have been disappointed or unable to rest easy knowing I was struggling so much."

"Yugi..."

Yugi ignored him, raising his hand to hush him so he could continue.

"It was after these scars were noticed that everyone dragged me out of the house and practically threw me onto the street to show me what I had been doing and how self-imposed I had become."

"They did tell me they did that." Atem half-heartedly smiled.

"I listened to them.. After I had taken off... I didn't come home that night... I spent it under the bridge, cold and alone... but not miserable... not entirely. I was thinking about what they'd said and about what I'd done and what you would say or how you would feel... I had a lot to think about."

"You slept under a bridge?" Atem asked. His voice was alarmed, almost angry with him but mostly concerned.

"No... I didn't sleep... I just stayed there."

"That's not much better Yugi."

"I'm not proud of this... Anyway, come morning I walked to the city, I visited some councillors and got their details to compare later and I went home. Everyone spent the night there that night waiting for me to come home and after they were done drilling me I told them I was going to seek help. I put the pamphlets and cards on the table and I waited for them to realise that I heard them and wanted to change, that I was ready to accept that I needed help."

"Yugi..." Atem muttered silently.

"I'm telling you this not because I want you to feel bad. That's the last thing I wanted. I did none of this because you were gone, not directly.. Everything I did was a result of how poorly I was handling it, not a result of you leaving. You being gone.. I was handling that. It didn't look it, but I was alright. I missed you... of course I did... but I was struggling more with not believing I was the person you had helped me become, I was struggling with believing that the person I was was a lie and that what was left was the same shy little boy that couldn't do anything without the aid of a 3000 year old Pharoah in an Egyptian puzzle."

"Yugi..." Atem said sadly. "I hear what you're saying but I can't help but feel that if I hadn't left then you wouldn't have gone through all of this."

*** TRIGGER WARNING END ***

Yugi smiled sadly, taking him inside his mind so that he might be closer to him. At least while they were inside his mind together, he could feel him take shape, actually touch his skin. Atem was visibly confused but as Yugi took his hands in his, squeezing firmly he looked to him. He was tense but he said nothing.

"The ceremonial duel was a test for you to see if you were ready to leave this plane and rest. It was also a test for me to see if I was ready for you to go, right?" Yugi asked.

"Yes...?"

Yugi smiled again, shaking his head no and Atem's brow deepened as he waited to see where he was going with this.

"The ceremonial duel allowed you access to the spirit world in the event you wanted to rest. My side of the test wasn't to see if I was ready to send you away; my side of the test was to see if I was ready to take the real test: actually living as myself."

Atem's eyes widened, his chest rising as he understood now.

"I was failing that test at first, and hard... and it took a lot of effort, a lot of patience and a lot of support... an actual amount of blood, sweat and tears... but after so long and with everyone's help I realised well after that at some point I passed that test. Slowly... very slowly, I embraced the person I had been all along, the person I wanted to be, the person you helped me become... I just forgot that I was that person for a while."

"...So... you ... did all this, responded the way you did... overcoming it was your test? You can make the decision to let me go with enough ease but actually living with that decision is the real test?" Atem asked gently.

"Yes. So I don't want you blaming yourself for this... this was my doing. I handled this poorly, I made my bed and I needed to sleep in it. If you hadn't have left, I would never have been able to know for sure if I was actually capable of living without you. In the event that you stayed, sure this probably wouldn't have happened... I can't deny that... but I never would have been able to fully embrace what you had taught me if I hadn't been given that time to myself. In a way, everything I had learned, everything I had become was being put to the test, and I never would have been able to pass if you had stayed." Yugi said.

"I.... I see... so even if we had discussed what we wanted, my leaving was still the right thing to do... even after everything you went through?" Atem asked.

"... yes... in saying that I'm still so thrilled your back. I passed that test... it took some time but I can proudly say I passed. Which means now I know I can live without you, I am absolutely so happy to have you back in my life again." Yugi said happily, squeezing his hand again.

He could feel Atem's mood lifting, feeling more at ease now and Yugi had to admit to himself that he felt a lot better now that he had told his story... he wasn't proud of what he had done during his lowest moments but he was proud to have overcome it, and now he could tell Atem with certainty that he truly had nothing to worry about. He wasn't ashamed of what he had done to himself, in fact if anything he held them as a symbol of what he was capable of overcoming.

Atem felt his resolve and with it his own strength returning... Yugi's power and light was always so inspiring to him, and he never ceased to impress him.

"Yugi I ... I don't even know what to say... I am so proud of you. I am sorry for what you had to endure but I am impressed that you did and then some. Not only did you overcome all of this..." Atem said as he gently stroked the scars upon his arms. "But you then you went on to college and chased your dream... you've achieved so much in your young years. I wish I could boast more about you ... Im just so proud of you."

Yugi blushed heavily, recoiling inwardly from the praise slightly. Even within his mind he could feel his skin grow hot from the embarrassment and all he could do was laugh to relieve the tension building within.

"What?" Atem giggled alongside him.

"Nothing, just... I'm a bit embarrassed. But im glad your proud... thank you!"

Atem smiled softly at his counterparts bashfulness. His warmth for him swelling within his chest as he looked upon the youths blushing smile.

Yugi brought them out of his mind then to stand within the bathroom of the hospital... his body still felt cold from the droplets falling from the tips of his hair and as he turned to pick up a dry towel to place over his head a thought occurred to him.

"Hey... can I ask... You don't mind that I got your name on my back do you?" He could feel Atems confusion in his silence and continued. "It's just ... You seemed bothered when you asked about it earlier..."

"Oh no! No not at all Yugi. If anything I'm actually honored that you did so. Earlier I was concerned because I had seen your scars and it got me thinking too much, but in relation to the tattoo I am deeply moved that of all things you could get to boost your strength you chose my name. It's quite the design as well if I might say so."

"Thanks... I had to draw it up myself to make sure it was right."

"Well you did an excellent job."

"Okay your going to give me a fever if you keep complimenting me like that." Yugi laughed.

"Correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think that's how fevers work Yugi." Atem joked heartily. He seemed to be feeling a lot better now. It was like the world was back to the way it should be when he smiled and felt lighter.


	8. 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I just realised I forgot to upload the rest of these chapters, so here we are!

The two of them spent the next several hours talking about the last 6 years. Yugi refused to lay in bed at first, taking to looking out the window and gently strolling around the room until he grew tired of moving. Atem watched him carefully, observing his movements while he listened to his college stories and where his adventures took him. Multiple times he suggested he lay down and in the end Yugi finally agreed to at least sit on the bed with him.

Yugi told him of how Pegasus awarded him his scholarship to attend college, and how he was nervous at first but before long he allowed himself to get sucked into the work rather than the guilt of taking such a gift. He felt better once he learned down the track that Pegasus's ulterior motive was to get Yugi into Egypt so he might rediscover the Millenium Items and any other secrets the Egyptians held. To Atem's relief Yugi had found the Millenium Items but did not hand them over to Pegasus. Instead Pegasus settled with an array of new cards to bring out for his business as well as the guarantee that the items were kept safe. There were only 4 people alive that knew of the item's whereabouts and Yugi, while grateful to Pegasus, stood firm in this decision.

He told Atem of Kaiba's successes over the years and how Mokuba was now a director for one of his branches here in the city. This took a lot of pressure of him so now he could have more time to duel… of course there wasn't much competition for him as the new King of Games but he dueled more or less for publicity and to assert his dominance. Joey still strived to beat him and they more or less have grown to admire one anothers tenacity. Underneath Kaiba's exterior it was pretty obvious that Kaiba would almost be disappointed if Joey didn't challenge him… almost.

Yugi told him stories of his trips to Egypt, to France, England, Washington once and even LA for various lectures and tours, assignments and practical studies. He became very independent over the last few years. Once there was a time when he was required to travel so much he was home for a total of 2 months.

He told him of old girlfriends and that he and Tea and had dated briefly… they ended on friendly terms however because they barely had time for one another… his degrees had him travelling and her dancing had her touring, it was too straining when they were together … there were no hard feelings though and this was almost 3 years ago. Since then Yugi hadn't found anyone.

Atem asked about Rebecca and Yugi had to laugh. He knew of course her feelings for him but they never dated as much as she wanted to. Now though she was engaged and working as a highly classified government researcher in Washington. What she did exactly Yugi didn't know but she was doing very well for herself.

They were interrupted once come lunch time and a nurse came in to deliver a small bowl of rice and beef with sushi on the side, a small cup of herbal tea as well. Now Yugi was hungry enough to eat and listened eagerly to Atem as he described the afterlife. From what Yugi remembered of it it was just a white expanse of blank space… but according to Atem's tales that was just the thin veil between the afterlife and the living world they referred to as the Veil. Beyond that the afterlife was like a dream one could loosely manipulate with your desires and thoughts. If you wished to live through a memory you could, if you wish to visit other souls you could join them, if you wished to rest in your dream of hopes and desires it was only a thought away...anything you could possibly wish for was catered to you, your own personal heavens you could share with if you wish… Of course being a dream time seemingly had no meaning. He could live through his life and rejoin his friends and only moments may have passed for them; and like a dream, often times previous adventures would be forgotten, slipping away like smoke among clouds...even now he could not tell him of details, only the knowledge of how it worked and the certainty that he had at least once seen his friends, caught up with them and rested in peace.

Yugi told him it sounded nice to have so much freedom and no worries. Atem agreed that gravity held nothing over them but he was somewhat relieved now to be a little grounded in his mind since being back with him. He remembered day to day now and felt more in control, which in comparison to floating along existence was a welcomed reprieve.

"Knock knock." They heard sing from the doorway and their spirits lifted even higher upon seeing Joey and Tea enter the room.

"Hey Yug, how you doin pal?" Joey skipped over.

"Hey, much better. What have you guys been up to?"

"We bought this. We wondered if Atem might be able to use it." Tea said happily as she fished out what looked like a wooden box.

"It's an Ouija board! We might be able to talk to you both now." Joey said happily, smiling widely as he presented the board like some kind of game show prize.

Atem giggled to himself but Yugi could feel he was touched by the gesture.

"Worth a try." Yugi approved.

"Alright!" Joey cheered. They both set it out on the floor, laying the board flat and placing the token in the center. Atem floated down to sit cross-legged opposing them.

"Okay. So this is supposed to help spirits Communicate but since we know there's one here maybe we don't need to call on him?" Tea asked.

"Is he ready?" Joey asked Yugi who now sat on the edge of the bed, watching to see if it worked.

"Yeah he's sitting opposite you." Yugi told them.

"Oh great! Okay… uhh." Joey scratched his chin.

Tea placed her fingers on the token and thought.

"Okay.. I think we just need to talk and you just need to move the piece around the board." Tea said.

"How about something easy? Like, is this working?" Joey asked.

Atem placed his own fingers on the board and to his surprise it felt tangible to him, as if he had borrowed Yugi's body and was touching it himself.

He dragged the token to the YES and Tea quickly removed her hands to clasp over her mouth. The moment she let go though Atem could no longer feel the board.

"I can't move it if they're not touching it Yugi." He told him.

"I cant that worked!" They both squeed with excitement.

"Guys you need to keep touching the board if you want him To talk." Yugi laughed.

"Oh right. How cool is this?!" Joey said as Tea took the token in her hands again.

Atem moved the piece to spell out HELLO and they laughed.

During their excitement and gushing it was now though that Yugi began feeling stiff in his side and when he moved to stretch he felt an intense ache that made him completely stop moving and restrict his breathing. The pain medication was wearing thin… but he didn't want to worry them. So, very very slowly he silently and carefully lowered himself down but quickly needed to abort this attempt… the pain was quickly growing.

"Oh he's spelling." Tea said and she and Joey watched the board as Atem moved the piece.

" .. Yugi… I N… in… … pai- Yugi are you okay?" Tea asked him Immediately.

Yugi shot him a glare of betrayal as he couldn't actually take in a breath to answer her convincingly and in return he shrugged and offered a half hearted smile.

"Just… the pain medication is wearing down…" Yugi struggled to say in one go.

"Need a nurse?" She asked.

"Um… yes please." Yugi agreed. She buzzed the buzzer and pet his hand gently. He could tell she wished there was something she could do.. he'd lay down but if needed to swallow anything he didn't want to get back up again so they waited. Atem told Joey he should take the board before the nurse got here and so he did, though he told him he'd get it out again when she left.

Atem floated over to Yugi, sitting beside him effortlessly and watching as he sat as still as he could, fearing any movements he made.

He expected the medication to go down but he didn't expect it to leave him so suddenly nor for it to hurt this much. Was this normal?

A nurse came in, asked him if he was okay and they told her his pain medication was wearing down. She checked him over, carefully got him to stretch his back but as he hissed and grunted, tears began to wet his eyes and she quickly stopped.

"Okay I'm going to get you to lie down. Its going to hurt but just know you wont be doing any damage and you'll feel better once you've relieved the pressure. I'm going to give you a smaller dose as an injection so you wont need to swallow. Have you eaten?" She asked.

"Yeah not too long ago." He gritted his teeth as she helped lower him so he was flat on his back. She lifted the top half of the bed until he wasn't straining and then lowered it for him until he was perfectly horizontal.

"Now don't move. Ill be right back." She said to him and left.

"This sucks." Yugi complained.

"Maybe you wont be coming home tonight after all." Tea said softly.

"I'm suddenly fine." Yugi said defiantly though not even he could muster a fake voice right now.

"You should rest when she comes back." Atem told him gently.

"You should rest… getting cheeky ratting me out like that." Yugi told him firmly. He and Joey giggled when the nurse came back.

"Alright. This is weaker than you've been on but will also likely make you sleepy. When the pain goes away you might just feel some stiffness in the area but you shouldn't be in any pain." She said as she prepared the syringe.

"Guess we'll let you rest then yeah?" Joey said.

"Sorry guys." Yugi said apologetically.

"Your good man. We'll see you tomorrow." Joey said happily as he and Tea waved them off.

She wasn't wrong about feeling sleepy. After they had all left he was biting his lip until the pain went away before he realised he was being pulled away from consciousness.


	9. 9

He was alone again in a field of white light and utter silence. He'd been here before… or had he? There was nothing recognisable save for the one feature: blank space of pure white. He felt no pain, no air, no cold nor warmth… was he floating or standing? He couldn't tell how heavy he was or if he moved if he would float away.

Looking around him granted him no pleasure of something to latch onto… he wasn't even sure if he had even moved.

"Hello?" He called out but even the silence swallowed his voice. He felt it slide past his lips and he thought he heard it but surely no one else could.

He looked around once more, feeling the fear beginning to climb up his spine when his gaze landed upon his friends and family, enjoying one another's company around a dining table. They were eating a feast and toasting, laughing and chatting.. They looked happy… but he wasn't there. Why was he not there? Perhaps… he needed to go to them.

"Guys!" He called out, desperate to grab their attention but as he ran to them they slinked away as if being pulled on some string; was he a cat chasing a toy?

"Guys!" He called out once more, sprinting now until finally they were no more, zipping out of existence beyond his sight.

He slowed to a stop as despair crept around his heart. Now he felt cold… all his warmth, his confidence and love seemingly sapped by fear, loneliness and doubt. Was this his punishment for something? Why was this happening?

Atem… where was his partner?!

"Yugi…. Yugi."

Yugi awoke with a frightful jolt which immediately made his side twitch and clench painfully, warning him not to do that again.

"Ow…" He whispered through gritted teeth before he cracked open his eyes to see deep violet ones looking down upon him, large and sparkling with concern. He smiled a small smile of relief when he saw he had awoken but the worry never left his eyes. For Yugi though his heart raced… he was here!

"Atem!" His voice cracked with relief before he felt reality around them… he was in the hospital bed, in a darkened room with machinery and bare furniture… he was alive… of course he was alive… that had been a dream.

"Are you okay? You seemed to be having a bad dream." Atem said to him gently. His voice was quiet… as if anyone else but he could hear him… though it was late… or it looked it. How long had he been asleep?

"I-I'm okay. What time is it?"

"About 8:30. That drug really knocked you out." Atem said with a gentle sigh, easing down to lean on the wall beside him.

"Yeah it was like… 2 something right?"

"About that."

"Have I missed anything?" Yugi asked as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

"Your doctor came to visit but you were dead to the world. I think he wrote down some things on your clip board but I can't make sense of it. It's been quiet otherwise. How are you feeling?" Atem asked. His concern hadn't let up yet… he supposed he understood that.

"Ummm…" Yugi stretched slowly, careful not to aggravate his injuries too much and then relaxed when his body told him that was enough. "I'm okay. Little sore but not more than expected. Have you just been hanging around this whole time?"

"There's not much else I can do. I did go into my room for a while, revisited some memories but I heard you talking in your sleep and felt your fear so I came to check on you."

"Talking… what did I say?"

"You were calling out my name… You weren't exactly calm."

Yugi sighed… he supposed he should at least tell him about the dream… he didn't need to but he was obviously worried.

"It was nothing major. I'm sorry to have dragged you away. I dreamt that I was … I suppose I could describe it as the Veil… there was nothing but white space… and I was alone except I was watching everyone I know enjoy themselves without me, and the more I tried to chase them the further they got from me… and then I started wondering where you were and why you weren't there… Then you woke me up."

"The Veil… Well you're here now, safe and sound and definitely not alone. Considering what you've been through I'm not too surprised your dreaming about that place… you almost died after all… for a brief moment or two you had… your mind is likely trying to deal with that." Atem said wisely. Though there was something else… something he wasn't saying… but the look in his eyes, the tone in his voice suggested that whatever concerned him was a farfetched thought, likely nothing… so he dropped it.

"You're probably right." Yugi smiled before he absent mindedly looked around… he was feeling hungry… but he also wanted to go home… 8:30… that was still early enough to get a lift home… right? If his doctor would let him though, he might need permission… though he could just sign out himself… it's not like they needed him here for much else.

"Do you think the nurse would mind if I call one down to ask them if I can go home?" Yugi asked him.

"You could always try. Regardless you should eat soon. In any case you can at least ask for something." Atem smiled.

Yugi smiled too, feeling his mood lift.

When the nurse arrived he asked her if he could go home. She checked his board, saw who his doctor was and told him to wait while she called him. She came back quicker than expected, telling him his doctor was just about to leave but will visit him before doing so. This didn't answer his question but he supposed this might still be a good thing…

So they waited patiently as Atem described to him what he had been doing in his room. Apparently since getting his memories back the labrynth that was his mind was now a lot more orderly and less dangerous. Yugi told him to give him a tour later when Doctor Kuwai entered the room.

"Yugi. Good to see you're awake. I was about to head in but I'm told you want to know if you can go home?"

"If possible, please."

"Well that depends on how your feeling. Your Xrays came back good. Everything still in place. Ultrasounds good too, no bleeding where you shouldn't be. Can you stand?" He asked.

Yugi slowly lifted himself up onto his elbows and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. He waited a moment as his center of gravity reset itself and Dr. Kuwai helped him off the bed and onto his feet.

"Alright, steady now." He said as Yugi steadied himself.

"I'm alright." Yugi said kindly. He lifted his arms up a little to stretch as much as he could, at least until his body protested.

"Walk a bit." Dr. Kuwai Told him.

He did as he was told, walking normally to and from the far wall.

"Alright. You seem to be okay enough. Just listen to your body, dont over do anything. Actually i dont want you doing anything for the next few days. No lifting, no running… no strenuous activities, no housework."

"Can i have that in writing? Grandpa wont believe me if i come home saying that." Yugi joked. Dr. Kuwai and Atem both laughed at him.

"Well you must be fine if your making jokes. Ill get admin to call your grandfather to come pick you up, you can gather your things and do you know your way to reception? I'll get you to sign out."

"I do, yes. Thank you." Yugi said happily shaking his hand.

"Very good. Well, all the best. I'll be in touch in a few days and we'll see you again in two weeks for a check up." Dr. Kuwai said pleasantly as Yugi grabbed his phone and wallet from the bedside table and followed him out.

"Good for you Yugi." Atem told him happily, floating beside him.

"It's gonna be so good to get home." Yugi told him internally.


	10. 10

Grandpa was so happy to have him home, though much to their amusement he never stopped hovering over him throughout the night; always checking if he needed anything or if there was something he could do to help him be more comfortable. Yugi waved him off politely, seated comfortably on the couch cuddling a pillow while Atem looked around. The layout of the living room was much the same but he had found some photos that were new, specifically ones of Yugi graduating highschool and earning his PhD in archaeology. There were even photos of him at different places in the world. Yugi watched in complete amusement as Atem admired the photos, gushing over how proud he was.

After an hour or so though Grandpa was looking to go to bed so Yugi agreed to take his assistance up the stairs to his room too and bid him goodnight. Though Yugi and Atem were far from sleeping.

Yugi showed Atem trinkets and photos of his time abroad, telling him stories from his adventures, both the good times and the bad. He showed him his diploma and the ridiculous hat he had to wear for graduation. Atem dared him to wear the outfit in jest but Yugi heartily refused.

"Tell you what, next time you're in control you can wear the outfit but I'm not wearing that again unless I need to." Yugi laughed.

"I fail to see the problem Yugi. It's a mark of your accomplishments." Atem giggled.

"I look like a walking tent, I'm not wearing it."

"I'm going to have so much fun with you." Atem winked slyly at him, bringing a faint blush to Yugi's cheeks.

"Speaking of fun…" Yugi said quietly. He walked over to his desk and began rummaging around the drawer of his desk before pulling out a golden box Atem knew all too well. His heart beat quickly as Yugi brought it over to the bed, sitting in between them gently.

"I've kept this in here since you left. I've been using mine against Joey but yours I kept yours safe… I couldn't bring myself to use it. I'm going to start carrying it around again now that you're back… so if you want to duel then you can." Yugi smiled as he gingerly picked up the duel deck.

"Yugi…" Atem breathed. His eyes were wide, his lips parted as he set his gaze upon his old deck… the one he'd used against Yugi all those years ago.

Without warning Yugi switched places with him and Atem almost dropped the deck in surprise.

"I… I can't believe you kept this." Atem stammered, fanning out the cards to look upon them again. His eyes became wet and his nose started tingling. He smiled and sniffed, collecting his composure before Yugi could catch him like this.

"It's missing the god cards… but they're safe and secure. Otherwise, it's exactly the same." Yugi said gently.

"Thank you Yugi. You just… keep surprising me." Atem's voice was deep, warm and fighting off emotions Yugi could only smile at. It made him happy to know how much Atem appreciated this.

"Should I leave you and the deck alone?" Yugi joked. Atem laughed then, his outer shell breaking momentarily to let his emotions out to play just for a second. He wiped a tear from his eye, grinning wildly as he giggled at him.

"Yugi." He shook his head.

"What?" Yugi asked cheekily.

Atem looked at him, still smiling at his cheek. "You've changed so much." He said sweetly.

"Have I?" Yugi asked. "I suppose so… in a way. Maybe."

"Maybe not changed… grown is more fitting." Atem nodded in agreement.

"Took you 3 days to make a growth joke, I'm impressed." Yugi giggled.

Atem giggled with him and took them both inside their minds. Yugi was confused at first but when Atem pulled him in for deep yet gentle cuddle he smiled and nuzzled into him, feeling his heart beating rapidly against his chest and his warmth through his clothes.

"I've missed you." Atem whispered quietly.

"I've missed you too pal." Yugi whispered back to him as he took in his scent and the feel of holding him close.

Atem released him then, a soft smile pulling at his lips he couldn't mask and such warmth in his eyes that made them shimmer.

"Tell me about what's new with Duel Monsters. Surely you've been keeping up with the trends at least." Atem said, taking them back out and into reality again.

"Right." Yugi said, taking his body over again to grab his laptop from the desk. Opening it up and laying down on the bed, back against the wall, he showed Atem all the new packs and cards that have been coming out over the last few years and together they stayed up talking until the early hours of the morning before Yugi started getting tired again. Atem had to take over his body just so he could put the laptop away and put himself to bed because Yugi was stubborn.

As Yugi slept through Atem knelt down beside the bed, resting his head on his hands as he watched the boy sleep. He was so happy to be back, and so happy that Yugi was happy… his humour, his generosity and sincerity… you wouldn't know he was injured a few days ago… much less just gotten out of the hospital. Even now, 6 years later, the boy still amazed him.

He supposed though, he wasn't a boy anymore… but a remarkable young man…

Yugi stirred in his sleep, rolling around to face him now, his hand falling limp off the bed lazily to almost hit him… in his spectral form though he felt nothing… his heart sank immediately. He was grateful to be back, and didn't regret following him… so was it wrong for him to wish he had more? When he hugged him earlier he felt almost greedy for not wanting to stop… to hold him so realistically felt … right. He had felt this on this level once before, during his memories and Yugi had come to save him… when their hands entwined and their gazes locked and he was reminded of the strength of their bond…

Absentmindedly he touched Yugi's hand, knowing he could only reach out to him emotionally but not actually touch him… still he felt warmth where there would have been skin and as if reacting to his touch Yugi sighed peacefully, moving his fingers in a way that would have taken Atem's hand and pulling him closer. Had he been real, he'd have snuggled his hand beneath his chin and against his chest.

His heart ached then… he knew he wanted more… to actually feel the touch as if he were flesh and blood… he wanted this desperately.

He took in a deep breath to steady his emotions and pulled back into the boys mind, retreating safely within his own corner of his mind reserved for him. Inside were his memories, rooms and halls themed specifically to each memory and desire, each thought he kept and fantasy he could create.

As the boy slept he knew he'd have privacy here and so created a new room, simple in design with no furnishings or decorations… just an empty blank slate of a room…

He created this room with intention but as he stood inside he hesitated… now that he thought about it he wondered what this fantasy would mean… what would happen if Yugi had discovered it… He stood here, conflicted ... all he wanted was to feel real, was to be touched and held… that's all… right?

He created a model that looked just like Yugi to stand before him. He stood, blinked a few times and then smiled when he saw him… it was a perfect replica of him, he almost wasn't sure if it was the real one but he couldn't feel Yugi's presence with him… he felt his presence still in control, asleep soundly… This was the fake one, an imitation… a fantasy.

He lifted his hand to touch his, making the fake Yugi do the same and once their fingers touched he felt tingles through his skin… it felt real… so so real…

Immediately he retreated from the room, locking the door behind him and sliding down to sit against the door. Tears welled up in his eyes as emotions he was not ready for overcame him, flooding him everywhere so that he could not get a grip on himself. What was happening to him? Why did he want this so much? He could be a part of Yugi's life for the rest of his life now… he wouldn't miss anything else anymore… was this not enough? It used to be… it always used to be enough just to be near him… but now he wanted more… why?! Why was he ungrateful?


	11. 11

Hours passed and Atem awoke to a feeling of anxiety and fear. Alarm bells rang somewhere in the distance and he knew immediately it was Yugi… something was wrong.

Without missing a beat he left his confines to find him outside, breathing hard in his sleep and tossing slightly, twitching every so often as sweat clung his hair to his face.

"Atem… Where…?" Yugi spoke in his sleep, his voice dripping with absolute terror.

The dream again…?

He touched his forehead, his cheek, reaching out to him deeply to try and pull him from this nightmare.

"Yugi." He called to him in a forceful tone in hopes of waking him but he only stirred. "Yugi!" Atem said to him sharply, finally snapping him out of his dream. Yugi shot up like a spring, flailing his arms as he reached out in front of him. He yelped in pain instantly, curling over and clutching at his side, whimpering from fear and the stabbing sensations in his ribs. He bit down hard on his arm to stop himself from screaming and refused to let go until he had time to calm down.

Atem watched this unfold in less than a second, unable to do anything but watch until he stopped moving lpng enough for him to reach out to him again.

"Yugi it's okay. Your awake now. I'm right here." He sang to him gently, leaning in close to touch his forehead to his and petting his hair as if he could actually touch him. The warmth was there though and he could feel Yugi calming down.

Yugi released himself, trying to breathe normally as he stretched his back straight slowly. His ribs protested but as he straightened he felt the cramp loosen. He was okay… it was just residual pain… He hadn't done anything.

"Yugi your bleeding." Atem said quickly, his voice wavering in concern upon seeing the blood om his arm.

Yugi looked, wiped it away and sighed.

"I bit down too hard." Yugi said breathlessly.

"Was it the same dream?" Atem asked quietly.

"Yes… but this was the pain." Yugi said firefly, referring to the bite mark in his skin.

Absent mindedly Yugi stood up from the bed and walked himself to the bathroom. Atem followed closely behind, hovering over him to make sure he was available if Yugi asked for him. But all he could do right now was watch at Yugi cleaned his arm and washed his face with cold water. His skin looked shallower than earlier, his brow creasing from fatigue and frustration… he was exhausted, not that Atem blamed him.

"It's getting worse." Yugi said eventually. Atem felt his heart aching for him, fighting to get closer so he could comfort him and as Yugi sniffed and looked away from him, hiding behind his wrist he only wanted to hold the boy more. "Why cant i sleep? Why do i keep dreaming of that place?!" Yugi cried, slinking to his knees and sobbing. Atem pulled him into his mind immediately and wrapped himself around him, draping his body gently over the back of his and burying his face into his hair. Yugi's body heaved as his emotional barrier collapsed and for a while Atem just held him as he cried out his frustration and fatigue. After a while Yugi squirmed from under him, turning around to bury his face into his chest and wrap his arms around his waist.

"I'm sorry…" Yugi whispered in a voice barely audible.

"You don't need to be." Atem spoke softly, sweetly. He felt for his partner… he wished he could go into his subconscious and beat out his demons so … his subconscious…

Atem pushed him off him gently, just enough so he could look upon his face. His eyes were puffy, his cheeks rosy red yet hollow… he was beyond exhausted… but this only strengthened his resolve to help him.

"I've got an idea. The next time you fall asleep, I'll delve into your mind and I won't stop looking for you until I find you and when I do, I'm going to protect you. No matter what it takes I will prove to your subconscious that you aren't alone." Atem told him strongly, confidently, hoping his resolve would get through to him and instil some hope into the boys heart.

"I - I don't want to sleep. I don't want to go back there again." Yugi shook his head fearfully. He was pushing himself away from him but under his grasp Atem didn't allow him to go far and instead pulled him closer.

"I know you're scared but I won't let anything happen to you. Please trust me. You don't need to sleep tonight, just next time you do know that I will protect you."

It took a moment but eventually Yugi nodded, clinging onto him tightly. Atem felt odd having his body fit so perfectly against his and as much as he felt concerned for him, he couldn't deny himself how good it felt to be holding him like this.

Before he got carried away he made Yugi stand with him, taking his hand in his and wiping away tears with the other. Yugi looked up at him, wide eyed and confused, his lips turned down slightly at the corners and his brow creasing just enough to show strain. He should be sleeping but he knew there was no chance he'd get to bed like this… he needed to take his mind off things.

"Let me give you a tour." Atem said happily, dragging him away to his door. It looked just as it did before; old and mysterious, with ancient carvings and dead vines. Yugi had been in his room multiple times, often getting lost or stumbling upon traps… but he hadn't been inside since Atem learned of his past… perhaps it was less mysterious now?

As if to answer his unasked question Atem opened the door and took him inside to a large, golden and well lit Palace Hall… massive pillars rose to the heavens carved intricately in Egyptian design, the floors reflected everything like golden mirrors. A long red carpet lead the way to a humble golden throne adorned with jewels and protected statues depicting the gods. Braziers were lit with orange fire dancing inside them, and statues of what Yugi assumed were guards lined the walls with various Egyptian weapons. Vases housed large green ferns and Iris flowers…

As soon as Yugi stepped through into this room his worries, his fears were left outside, replaced with awe and wonder and stunned silence… he was awestruck to be standing in such a marvel, such magnificence that he quickly forgot why he had been upset or that he was exhausted. The wide lavender eyes, his jaw dropped and his heart pounding loudly behind his eyes… he only moved because Atem was pulling on him to keep walking, watching him with a grin from ear to ear.

"What do you think?" Atem asked him happily, bouncing in sandals as he now dressed himself in his Pharoah attire.

Yugi looked at him, blinked in surprise and took in his visage from head to toe. He'd seen him like this before, but before he barely had time to register much beyond the peril the faced… now he was really looking and he could take in the detail in his jewellery, the fine linen and silks of his attire, the dark skin and muscled body underneath… since being back Atem maintained his Egyptian visage only he wore whatever Yugi had been wearing…. Now he chose to be in own gear he could see more of him than he expected.

"You … look like you." Yugi stammered before giggling at the notion. "I mean of course you do but… this… this is incredible." Yugi said, looking wildly around once more.

"It's exact in every detail. I grew up here… I know this place from the smallest tile to the leaves in the plants. I recreated it like this so I could feel more at home while I'm here." Atem said modestly.

"This is amazing. I remember seeing your Palace from the outside and briefly from the inside but this… I've been to tombs and palaces, I've explored the ruins of the cities but never in my life could I have imagined that it would be this beautiful. And you… your clothes and jewellery… I remember you wearing this but now I can actually see you in it… dressed like a true Pharoah. It's easy to forget sometimes that you're actual royalty." Yugi said as he walked around him, eyeing him down like some kind of prize.

Atem giggled as he followed him.

"I'll choose not to get offended by that. Now that I've learned all the secrets to my past I can recreate anything I wish here. I can create rooms for specific memories, I can change this to resemble anywhere in Egypt I used to go… I have complete access to my past and the limitations of my thoughts and desires to make this anything I wish." Atem said.

"This is …. There's no words to describe how incredible this is." Yugi laughed.

"I thought you might like it. Yugi I'm giving you almost complete access to this place. You can go anywhere you like except inside anything I've locked… those are my places… anywhere else though, you can spend as much time here as you like. Nothing will try to hurt you here, you have as much access as I do."

"Except for those locked rooms." Yugi winked at him. Atem blushed and ran his hand through his hair… he didn't mind if he saw most of his life but even Yugi would have had his private moments he'd want to keep private.

"You must have your locked doors too, right?" Atem asked.

"Yeah I'm just teasing. I respect your privacy pal… thank you so much for bringing me here. I could spend the rest of my life absorbing this detail, this splendor…

"You can you know… I mean when not in the real world… I'm here with you for good now… so if you wanted to you could spend your life here…" Atem said nervously.

"You wouldn't mind?" Yugi asked.

Atem's blush deepened… he didn't expect Yugi to ask that… was he seriously considering doing so? He wanted him to but …

"I mean, no of course not… You're more than welcome here anytime you want." He smiled. Yugi beamed, his gaze returning to the world around him, catching every minute detail with such excited enthusiasm.

"Then if you don't mind, I might just spend the night here…" Yugi whispered. Slowly he sat down on the carpet, cross legged and just looked around him in appreciating silence.

Atem was surprised by this… he thought he would examine the throne or read the walls, touch the plants… explore… anything but to choose to just sit down and look around him… was he in that much awe?

He giggled and approached him, giving him his hand to take.

"Come on. You wanted a tour right?" Atem asked him sweetly.

Yugi smiled and quickly took his hand.

Atem showed him around the Palace as much as he could remember. The council room, where he would take dinner and entertain feasts, the armoury and stables, the library and games room, his entertainment hall where fighters would exhibit their abilities, their dueling area where he and his council would train their monsters, the many many balconies he could view his city from … there were rooms beyond necessary but he ended the tour with his bed room which Yugi almost keeled over seeing… next to this his room looked like a cupboard… it was massive with enough room for his Queen sized bed, dressers and armour stands, a bath tub in the corner and enough room to spar with if he chose to… his room opened to yet another balcony and from here he could see the majority of the city… the view was immense and went on forever. Yugi found himself wondering how far it went… perhaps as far as Atem's mind went but how far was that?

"This is amazing… I can't comprehend just how amazing this is. You slept here?!" Yugi asked him as he jumped onto his bed, sprawling out. It was surprisingly soft and extremely comfortable… he didn't know why but he thought that even as advanced as they were their beds, even royal beds, would not be this comfortable… perhaps he mixed in a little modern knowledge too to keep it this way…

"Yes… this was my room even after I became Pharoah." Atem giggled as he leaned on the bed post, enjoying watching Yugi roll around on his bed.

"This is very comfortable. I can't believe you've never said anything about my room."

"Your room is comfortable too. Believe it or not I'm actually a lot calmer in your room."

"Why?"

Atem shrugged. "It feels safer, more… homely. This is a room for a crowned Prince and later a King… it's more a statement than a room. A king can't be seen sleeping in a room sized for a commoner… or thats what my father would have said."

"So I'm a commoner?" Yugi giggled.

Atem laughed warmly. "You're a king to me."

Yugi blushed and smiled, though Atem felt his embarrassment creeping on again.

Yugi shook it off though and made himself comfortable, laying his head down on the pillow he patted the bed next to him for Atem to join him. Blushing in confusion he joined him though he wasn't sure where he was going with this. Though as if to answer his question Yugi cuddled up to him, resting his head on his chest and snuggling close for safety.

"Thank you. Not just for bringing me here but for earlier too. I trust you completely and I know you'll do what you can to help… I feel that whatever my issue is at the moment is my issue I need to deal with… it's probably some PTSD bullshit from almost dying that I'll eventually get over… but it helps to know that you are actually here… even if I forget that sometimes when I'm dreaming." Yugi told him.

"I'll always be here for you Yugi and if it helps you can always come here to rest if you need to. I can take over for a while so you can rest easy in here whenever you need." Atem told him gently.

Yugi snuggled deeper into him, filling every inch of him that wasn't being pressed against and Atem felt himself tensing from the motion. His body was hot and almost begging for him to move closer… he didn't understand why he felt this way but he knew for certain exactly what he was yearning for… this wasn't good… if Yugi knew… but… he seemingly didn't notice how nervous he was feeling… that was good… just keep being oblivious.

"I think I'll stay here for a while… if you don't mind." Yugi whispered. His breathing quickly became even, falling deeply as sleep took hold of him… he was asleep…. He wondered how sleep would affect him here… but he also wondered what he should do about his situation… He also promised Yugi that the next time he slept he would face his demons so that they stopped bothering him but he couldn't really move without waking him right now…

His gentle breathing and softened expression though, how tightly he clung to him… looking upon his innocent appearance made his heart melt… perhaps… he just needed to stay here a while after all.

Gently he brushed his hair from his eyes and allowed the boy to rest.


	12. 12

Yugi yawned as Grandpa placed a tea down in front of him just as the bell at the shop rang, beckoning him downstairs to greet his customer. He was still waking up but he felt good. After his moment last night he slept wonderfully in Atems bed inside his mind. He'd slept so soundly that Atem had managed to get away to take his body back to his own bed so he wouldn't be sore in the morning for sleeping on the hard tiles of the bathroom.

Atem was asleep now that Yugi had woken. He had spent the entire night awake just in case he felt Yugi slipping into another nightmare.

Yugi smiled at the thought. He felt bad for making him stay up all night but he was flattered he did so and thankful too. He'd have to thank him again later.

He heard footsteps coming up the stairs then followed by a hollering cheer as his friends saw him.

"Hey! Yugi! Good to see you back home man!"

They came around, clapping his shoulder and rubbing his hair. Joey kissed him ontop of the head before his messed his hair up.

Yugi laughed, pushing him away playfully.

"Hey guys." He sang happily.

"How are you feeling?" Tea asked him sweetly.

"Good. Better now I'm not at the hospital. Uh, Atem would say hi too but hes sleeping at the moment." Yugi smiled.

"Late riser ey?" Joey joked.

"Haha, I kept him up all night. I don't think hell be up for a few hours yet."

"Ah gotcha. So, whats the plan for today?" Joey asked.

"Well… I can't do much of anything. Doctors orders. So… Not a lot. I do have work to catch up on though so when it's quiet I'll probably just work on that. What about you guys?"

"Same here. I gotta open the shop in an hour." Tristan complained.

"I'm meeting Mai for lunch later but otherwise I' all yours if ya need a hand?" Joey offered.

"Thanks but my works kinda boring."

"I've got the day free today too. But we bought over the Ouija board so when Atems awake we can keep him company while you work if you like?" Tea suggested

"That's be great! Actually, before that I do need to go to the museum so if you wanna keep me company?" Yugi asked.

"Sure!"

"Great! Finish tea and go?" Yugi asked again as Grandpa came on with tea for them all.

After their tea they said their goodbyes to Tristan as he drove off to his store on his custom built bike, while Yugi and Joey took Tea's car into the city.

The sun was shining brightly today, yet the air was cool and refreshing as his gently played with the leaves of the trees and tickled the citizens going about their business. Finding a spot in the all day parking behind the museum was easy enough and thankfully today walking came alright for Yugi. He was a little slower than usual but he didn't feel any pain or awkwardness.

He left Tea and Joey in the foyer to look at various paintings and pottery displays while he flashed his personnel card to the security guard and walked on through the staff corridors.

He enjoyed the silent walk to his office… since no one expected him to be here he wasn't flooded with paperwork or requests… though 3 days away with an exhibit coming up he was sure his desk was piling up.

His office was a modest little room with nothing special about it aside from his name on the door reading Dr. Moto. Inside though it was his own little sanctuary. He kept it dimly lit to protect the various artworks he collected and stacks upon stacks of wooden boxes housed valuable artifacts he'd yet to document and donate.

A bookcase overfilled with books and journals, scrolls and small chests filled with yet more fragments of old journals, sandwiched in his desk which could barely be seen under all the paper stacks and various small artifacts in mid examination.

He sighed fondly… others might think his room cluttered and claustrophobic, but to him it was organised chaos offering security and comfort. He could get lost here for days until he would need to go out again and look for more things to add to his collections… for now though he settled for working from home for a bit, and to do that he would need to gather what he could.

His briefcase rested at the foot of the desk and quickly he was able to fill it with ease with the stacks of paper strewn across the desk. Forcing it closed he rested it on his chair before grabbing a modest sized box to carefully place the artifacts on his desk. Wrapping them up safely and securing them with smaller boxes he was able to give himself enough work for at least 3 days.

Though for a moment he did regret filling it so much as lifting it onto a trolley wasn't too fun but he had Joey to help him afterwards so it wasn't so bad. Though he was glad Atem was asleep or he'd probably be stern with him.

He was heading out when he was stopped by Mr. Owoi, his boss and director of the museum. A large round man that took up a lot of presence in a hall. Always dressed in tweed and always sporting a gold monocle. His balding head reflected the fluorescent lights above and his well groomed moustache looked almost fake. He was a character… but a very joyful one at that. He was stern when it came to efficiency but lenient when it came to his staff… a very family driven man capable of great authority and respect. Yugi was clearly his favourite, quickly climbing the ladder since graduation, but he was still his boss and when he needed to knew how to reign him in. Yugi respected him greatly.

"Sir."

"Moto. I didn't expect to see you here. Out of the hospital I see." He said cheerfully.

"Yes sir, last night." Yugi smiled.

"Very good. Going to work from home I see. They'll be ready for the exhibit next week yes?"

"Yes sir they should be, given I'm not hospitalised again. From what I saw the statues aren't arriving until tomorrow yeah?"

"Yes there's been a delay. Would you like them delivered to the shop instead?"

"That'd be great thanks. How's everything else?"

"Just fine. Well, I trust I don't need to remind you to be careful with these. Paperwork in as soon as possible."

"Of course sir, thank you." Yugi smiled as Mr. Owoi opened the door for him and let him through first.

He waved him off and quickly found Joey and Tea by a fertility painting.

"When you guys are done can you help me carry this into the car?" Yugi asked them, spooking them from behind.

They jumped and giggled.

"Sure Yug." Joey smiled as he took the crate in both hands.

"Be very careful with that, there's a few priceless artifacts inside. Don't drop or bump it." Yugi told him as he handed Tea his briefcase and left to return the trolley.

As he did so he thought to stop by his office one last time, rummaging through the bookcase to take with him a rather thick folder and a book wrapped in very old cloth. He held them for a moment before committing to taking them… he might be wrong but if he was right he would need these.

Joey helped him put the crate upstairs in his office, or the spareroom as he had claimed it, before it was time he should be leaving to meet Mai. Yugi thought to spend time with Tea in the living room, dueling casually while Grandpa made them curry for lunch.

Tea had become fairly decent in the last several years of dueling. She'd really adapted to her fairy/light deck… but she was still no match for Yugi even when he used a shuffled one on the fly. Still, she enjoyed herself and that's what mattered.

They were relaxing down on the couch, watching a movie Tea had chosen about bollywood dancing when Atem floated out to join them.

"Hey, I didn't expect you up yet." Yugi greeted him internally.

"Good morning -"

"Afternoon."

"Oh… good afternoon. How are you?" He asked as he made himself comfortable beside him despite being astral, it made him feel more present.

"I'm good. We've been out and about today. We're just hanging around now. Tea brought over the Ouija board if you wanted to say hi." Yugi smiled pleasantly.

"Yugi?" Tea asked him. He blinked and smiled.

"Oh sorry. Atem's just woken up." Yugi said pleasantly.

"Oh! Hey! Does he wanna use the board?"

"Uhh.. why don't you take over for a bit?" Yugi asked him. He didn't wait for his response and switched places with ease. Atem blinked several times before he realised he had done this and blushed when he did.

"Not much warning there Yugi. Hey Tea." He said to her pleasantly.

"Oh you switched! Well this will be quicker than the board. How are you?" She asked him.

"I'm good, how are you?" He asked her as Yugi stretched wide.

His own body was limited from doing so, so even though he couldn't feel himself doing this, in his soul stretching felt amazing and Atem couldn't help but find him amusing.

They chatted for a while, catching up joyfully as Yugi sat cross legged on the floor, leaning back on his arms as he watched. A thought occurred to him though and he faded, disappearing to the confines of their minds. While Atem chatted with Tea now was his chance to check out something in Atem's mind. He could have done this earlier but he thought it'd be rude to look around while he slept.

Unfortunately, he spent much longer searching than he did finding what he was looking for. His palace was huge. He was sure he'd been looking for at least an hour when he finally found a library and even longer still when he found a tome on the Millenium Items. If his mind worked the way he thought it did, then this library would have contained every ounce of knowledge Atem had, which included everything he knew about the Millenium Items. Yugi had been researching them closely for years and to date he was the only one alive that knew more about them than anyone, but Atem's knowledge could prove invaluable as he was around when they were created.

As he read the tome though he didn't find anything he didn't already know… but that was useful too. It meant there wasn't anything he had obviously missed to take into account.

Returning the book in it's place he left to join them outside again. They were dueling when Yugi arrived and Atem was winning, no surprise there.

"Oh Yugi. Where did you go?" Atem asked him internally as Tea thought of her next move.

"I wanted to confirm something. You guys okay?"

"Yes this is our 4th game. She's gotten good over the years."

"She has."

"Unfortunately though I'm about to destroy her." Atem giggled.

And he did just that. With one face down card and a special effect her lifepoints dropped to 0.

"Aww man. You're still so good even after these past few years." Tea half heartedly complained.

Atem giggled as he packed his cards away.

"Yugi's back now, would you like to speak with him?" Atem asked her kindly.

"No rush." Yugi waved him down.

"Actually Yugi's probably got some work to do, but you and I can chat with the board if you like?" She asked.

"You have work?" Atem asked.

"Yes. We went to the museum earlier to pick up some things. I've got quite the stack to work through but you're welcome to hang out with her more while I get through it." Yugi smiled.

"I will then, so long as we don't distract you." Atem told him with a gentle smile. "That'd be lovely Tea."

In just a moment Yugi and Atem switched places again.

"I'll be right back. I'm going to grab some papers then you can chat." Yugi told her as he lifted himself off the ground and out of sight. Atem floated behind him curiously into the spare room and paused upon seeing the whiteboards and maps hung around the walls, piles of books and a desk where the bed used to be.

"This is your office now?" He asked.

"My home office yeah. My main one is at the museum, this is just for when I need to work late. Here we go." Yugi said pleasantly as he grabbed the briefcase from earlier and a pen.

He joined Tea in the loungeroom again, setting himself up at the coffee table while Tea set up the board.

"Are you sure we won't distract you?" Tea asked kindly.

"Not at all. This is gonna be dull so listening in may actually get me through it." Yugi giggled as he laid out his stack.

"You have to work through all of that?" Atem asked him.

"It's less than it looks." Yugi smiled.

Atem and Tea placed their fingers upon the token and talked in small bursts as Atem needed to spell out his sentences. In the end they ended up just watching Yugi primarily, though Tea kept her fingers on the token just in case Atem wanted to talk. He was impressed as Yugi sorted through the stacks into their respective topics, though he was relieved to see that for the most part Yugi just needed to skim through them and sign off when they were finished. Regardless, he was at this for 2 hours, ignoring them primarily as they watched him, occasionally making cute little remarks on how impressed they were. To Yugi this was nothing special… most of them were progress reports on dig sites, artifact documentation, reports on carbon dating and the like. Nothing extreme, just lost of them. Three days of build up would do this, especially with an exhibit to hold next week.

Once he signed off the last small pile he tossed away his pen and laid down flat on his back, arms outstretched and spine rejoicing.

"Finally finished! Until tomorrow anyway…" He sighed.

"Tomorrow?" Tea asked.

"I've got some artifacts to check over and a shipment coming in, so checking over their paperwork and completing the analysis of what I have… at least. I don't know if I'll get anymore paperwork but I'm sure Owoi will send it over if I do."

"Owoi?" Atem asked.

"My boss. He's the curator of the museum." Yugi answered him allowed, not even caring at this point if Tea thought he was mad… she knew Atem was here.

"Sounds like you've earned yourself a treat." Tea winked.

Yugi perked up onto his elbows, brow raised and head cocked to the side.

"Ice cream?" She suggested.

"Please." Yugi enthusiastically. She helped him stand up, and before they left he tidied his stacks of paper.


	13. 13

The afternoon was beautiful as the sun set on the city. The towers and roofs of houses were lit orange, the shade cast from them a deep blue and the cool breeze felt like autumn on their skin. They walked at a very casual pace down the street, eating their ice creams in a cup without any care. Yugi loved this… he'd been taken to doing this as often as he could between trips. The walk around the city with a friend beside him was advice from his councillor years ago and icecream was just a nice incentive to do so. He and his friends did enough exercise to work it off so for the last several years this was their thing, be it with Tea, Joey, Tristan and on occasion Duke or Bakura. Yugi explained this to Atem as they walked and he could feel his warmth coming from him upon hearing the story.

"Oh hey! This is where we got the Ouija board." Tea said, stopping at a store with more windchimes than any one building should ever own, and lost of coloured silks and scarfs, dangling jewellery and strong incense coming from inside.

"Wanna check it out?" She asked.

"I got time." Yugi shrugged.

He followed her in and was immediately greeted by the strongest scent of some form of flower… he was almost knocked out but after a moment he became accustomed to it, despite it watering his eyes and tickling his nose.

They greeted the owner, who was pleasantly reading a book besides a radio. When she saw Yugi though he eyes grew wide and she closed her book.

"Yugi Moto correct? Ms. Gardner this is the reason you purchased the Ouija board yesterday?" She asked. Her accent was strong but she seemed pleasant enough, even if she knew his name.

"It is, yes." Tea smiled.

"I trust I don't need to ask if it worked. I can see the spirit that follows you." She said as she whisped around her counter.

"You can?" Yugi asked nervously. This was not normal… could she be trusted? No one should be able to see Atem but him…

"Do not fear. I am but a humble medium. Though I must say in my years of serving the spirits I have never met one quite so strong. You are fortunate to have him protecting you." She said as she took his hand in both of hers. She gasped upon doing so and he wanted to pull back but her grasp was firm… yet her hands were cold, soft… he felt no malice come from her.

"You died recently. That is why he has attached himself to you. Until recently he had departed from this world but your passing pulled him to your side. I sense a strong connection between you that could test time with ease." She said.

"Umm… Tea?" Yugi asked nervously.

"Her names Ms. Shang. She's lovely, I come here often enough. My mum is crazy about crystals." Tea said reassuringly.

Ms. Shang released him, bowing deeply in respect.

"I'm sorry. How rude of me. I did not mean to impose… it's just such a delight to be greeted by such a strong connection. I commune with spirits often enough, performing seances and exorcists and the like, giving comfort to those who have lost someone, but you are a rare case indeed. This spirit, under normal circumstances, I would say haunts you… he is connected to your soul only poltergeists usually do… but he protects and guides you, more like a guardian angel… this is exceptionally rare and usually only present in times of need… this is what makes it such a delight… he is attached to you by choice and serves not to torment but to protect…. This is incredible." She beamed.

Yugi and Atem both relaxed, sensing nothing but good intentions from her, but still they were on guard. It was strange she could see him… Yugi had seen a lot in his day, much he wouldn't believe if he hadn't been involved, but despite all this he reserved the right to be sceptic about mediums and fortune tellers unless they could provide something he could not explain with logic… she fit the bill right now.

"What can I do for the three of you today?" She asked, clapping her hands together pleasantly.

"Uhh we were just browsing." Tea said happily.

Ms. Chang looked to Atem, her eyes squinting but seemingly looking through him, before she clicked her fingers and beckoned for them to follow.

"The Ouija board is good for communing with spirits not as strong as this one. This one though… Yami I'm being told… can choose to be present when he wishes… I believe if you would like to connect with him on a more personal level then this would be better." She said as she lead them through to a back room behind a curtain. It was small, cluttered… like a broom closet filled with every which thing you could imagine.

She pulled out a crystal on a rope necklace. It was Amethyst and pointed but smoothed to shine and reflect light. It swung in her hands as they watched it hang.

"What do we do with it?"

"If you're interested, I need to attune it to him. It won't hurt him at all, all it will do is allow the wearer to see and hear him as I and Yugi can." Ms. Chang explained.

"Really?" Tea asked in excitement.

Atem and Yugi blinked… they were both equally intrigued by this but Yugi wondered what the catch would be.

"No catch dear boy. But it does require a personal item of his. I sense he is … exceptionally old… if you do own anything of his though then we can do this."

Yugi looked to Atem, thinking of the duel deck in his pocket… he wondered if they would suffice… if not he could think of one other things but he was loathe to try it.

Yugi pulled out the duel deck from his pocket and showed it to her.

"This belongs to him. I gave it to him and have kept it safe on his behalf but I have relinquished all ownership to him. Would this do?" Yugi asked.

"Nicely. I must warn though, in order to do this the wearer of the crystal must also keep the object of their belongings on their person… if you wish to use these then your friend will not be able to see him until she is carrying it again.

Yugi looked to Atem who nodded his agreement.

"Okay thats fine by him. What do we need to do?"

"And… how much is this? I only have 5000 yen on me." Tea asked.

"500 yen for the crystal, another 500 yen for the enchantment, though I won't charge until I know it's worked. First Tea you need to pick a card. I will take one as well, only for the attunement process, then you will get it back."

"Tea took the deck from Yugi and looked through it.

"I don't know which one to choose."

"Tell her she may pick anyone she wants so long as it's not the dark magician." Atem asked Yugi. He told her so she picked the dark magician girl and Ms. Change took the first card on the deck, no matter what it was. She then took the dark magician girl from Tea and placed them on the table with the crystal.

"Now this won't hurt, you might feel a little tug though, thats normal." She said to both Tea and Atem.

Closing her eyes she placed her hands over the items, breathed in and chanted something in a language Yugi thought might have been hindi…

After a moment Atem winced and Tea shivered and Ms. Chang gave Tea the Dark Magician girl and the Crystal. when she took them she jumped with a fright and her face lit up with such joy as she saw Atem standing beside Yugi, arms crossed as he used to all the time. Atem blinked in surprise from her reaction, his lips pulling to a smile.

"I guess you can see me." He said cheerfully.

"And hear you! This is amazing!" Tea exclaimed!

She went to touch him but her fingers passed through him just as he was ordinary air.

"I didn't think that would work." Tea giggled.

"Ah good, it worked." Ms. Chang chimed happily.

She gave Yugi back the card she used and clapped her hands excitedly.

"I'll pay you out here. We will likely be back, we have some friends who would be interested in this too." Tea said.

"Lovely. Well it won't hurt Yami no matter how many times we do this, but they will need their own card too. Keep it safe, if it gets destroyed the spell will break." Ms. Chang warned her as they left the tiny room, following Tea to the counter.

Once paid for and out of the store Tea squeed in sheer excitement, practically jumping for joy as she took in all of Atem's features. Both he and Yugi just watched her, incredibly amused.

"I can't believe I can see you! This is how you see him all the time?" Tea asked him.

"Yep. This is how it was when he lived in the puzzle too." Yugi giggled.

"This is amazing! All the time you've actually just been right here like you were physically here!" She was gushing but they couldn't blame her. This was exciting. It meant he'd be able to talk with them without using Yugi's body or an Ouija board.

"What happens if you take over Yugi's body though, would we be able to see Yugi?" Tea asked.

Atem and Yugi shared a glance, believing it to be a good question and silently agreed to switch places.

Atem disappeared from her view as he slipped into Yugi's body and Yugi floated around but she looked confused and expected instead of happy to see a change.

"I guess she can't see me." Yugi said, waving his hand before her eyes but she didn't appear phased. "Or hear me." Atem giggled.

"It seems you can't see him." Atem told her.

"Oh you changed… I guess not." She said sadly.

They switched places again and Atem shifted into view.

"Welcome back." She said, smiling once again.

"Hello." Atem waved.

"I love that you're in your own clothes, not just Yugi's."

"What does that mean?" Yugi asked her, mockingly hurt by that comment. They laughed at him and they kept walking, on their way home now.


	14. 14

As they said goodnight and went up stairs Atem was animatedly excited about each of their friends obtaining a gem; the idea that they would be able to communicate with him without stealing his body or using single words on the board? He felt invigorated when Tea could see him and as he talked, he became even more convinced to search through his notes he brought home. So far he was doing well to keep his intentions secret from him, he's just need to wait until Atem would sleep tonight but he had things to do before then. Considering he didn't get much rest earlier, he expected Atem would rest before he did though.

And… as expected, he did. He insisted Yugi try to sleep but when he refused, he insisted staying up with him… and he tried but come after midnight he was exhausted and drifted off into his room silently.

Yugi was tired… he admitted that but this was his only chance to research in privacy. And so closing the door to his office he buckled down, with nothing but a desk lamp lighting his journals.

He stayed up for 3 more hours, writing down theories and drawing diagrams, collecting notes and hypothesising… he hadn't visited these notes in years but in that time he hadn't learned anything new… except… perhaps Ms. Chang may know of something he didn't… something he might be missing.

And then it occurred to him… if he was going to go through with this research then he didn't have a lot of time to perform it… In two weeks the Nameless King exhibition would be showcasing at the museum before it moves on to New York next month… if he was going to act then he had 6 weeks to do so… he didn't exactly have the cash on him to fly out to New York nor did he have a job in the US claim a business trip…

I have 6 weeks…

"6 weeks for what?" He heard Atem's deep voice somewhat behind him, hoarse with sleep and quiet with fatigue. He closed his journals immediately and spun to face him.

"An exhibition. The Nameless King will be in town in 2 weeks and on display for 4 weeks after that, which means I have about 6 weeks to organise shipment over to New York." Yugi lied convincingly. Atem was so tired though that he didn't detect it.

"Oh… the Nameless King…" He mulled the words a while as Yugi turned off the light and walked past him. "Wait thats me." Atem followed him.

"Well done. Yes." Yugi giggled as he entered the bathroom.

"Wait… what time is it?"

"About 4 am… I'm going to bed now don't worry." Yugi smiled as he prepared his toothbrush.

"4 am… Yugi why did you stay up this late?"

"I had work to do." He said as he brushed his teeth.

"Do you often stay up this late?"

"Mmhmm." Yugi nodded.

Once he was done and wiping himself dry he went to go change.

"My work often leaves me pulling all nighters. I'm kind of used to it." He said as he unbuttoned his shirt, revealing the bandages still firmly in place around his chest. He'd probably need to change them tomorrow… he wondered how large the bruise was underneath… he could feel it but the bandage covered everything.

"I suppose you've always been one to stay up late. What with insomnia and all." Atem relaxed, seemingly convincing himself.

"Why are you awake? I didn't wake you did I?" Yugi asked him.

"No… I didn't sleep very well, sensed you were still awake so I came to see you."

"Is everything okay?" Yugi asked again as he slipped on his sleeping shorts.

"Yes just very light sleep. I'll try again I think soon… if that is you think you might be okay?" He asked… he referred to the nightmares he's been having… suddenly Yugi felt hesitant to try but his sigh turned into a yawn… he needed to try.

"I'll be okay. I don't want to keep you up again."

Atem smiled sweetly as Yugi climbed into bed.

"Shame I can't just sleep in your room again. That was comfortable." Yugi joked.

"You may you know."

Yugi shook his head no politely. "No it's your bed. You should have it to you."

"What's mine is yours Yugi but I won't push." Atem giggled tiredly.

"Goodnight buddy. I hope you sleep well."

"I hope you sleep well too Yugi. I'll see you in the morning."

As Atem nestled himself back into his own bed he willed the lights to dim. The stars outside sparkled like diamonds and the cool air calmed him down as he snuggled inside his blankets. But as comfortable as he was he found himself waking up more than falling asleep. He was wide awake and getting restless.. It was frustrating not being able to rest, especially so early in the morning while Yugi was sound asleep. He could feel him sleeping… like a soft air of calm coming from his other half.

Aggravated he chose to get up and wonder. He decided to spend time watching a memory of Mana playing with her spells with Mahaad, laughing at her jests and his failed attempts to contain her.

Before he knew he felt the hours had passed and soon he felt Yugi stirring… the air of calm turning cold… the dream again?

He left immediately to find Yugi asleep in his room. His breathing had quickened, and he was frowning slightly… if it was the same nightmare he wasn't deep into it. He could wake him easily but he thought he'd take this moment instead to find the nightmare and try to put a stop to it so he could keep sleeping as soundly as possible.

He hesitated a moment before entering Yugi's soul room… he knew he'd have permission to do so but he had always respected Yugi's space and had never until now stepped inside, even when the door was opened he merely looked from outside…

Yugi's soul room had gone through some changes since he last saw it too. Last time he had seen it he kept the door wide open, toys and games strewn across the soft carpet floors and bright coloured walls… a childs room fitting for his innocence and pure heart. It was still brightly coloured with soft carpet and the toys he kept were still present however packed away neatly to the side as if a parent had come through and cleaned it. There was more things in here too now, most noteable was an area seemingly stretching as far as he could see, with bookcases towering over him until he could see no more. This must represent the knowledge and experience he's gained over the years, as if he needed proof of his growth.

There was no where else to go though so as he walked down the isle of bookcases resembling that of an old, victorian library with its darkwood and ladders, leather tomes and old paintings, he walked until he reached the end: a large, chained metal door with padlocks and rust… it was completely different to anything he had seen or had expected to see in Yugi's mind… he sensed this wasn't his subconscious… but rather something Yugi had chosen to keep locked away. He went to touch it, feeling icy cold the closer he got to it when he noticed the padlocks on it were unlocked… the chains were kept there by the metal of the lock but it wasn't actually locked… what did this mean?

He felt Yugi's fear increasing steadily now though and was able to use this to find his subconscious door elsewhere. This was a normal door of no consequence, inconspicuous and easily missed if he hadn't been looking for it. This was it… he was dreaming here.

He opened the door bravely and inside he was met with white light, blinding and confronting. He knew this… this was the Veil… Atem wasn't afraid of it but Yugi being so was understandable… afterall, Yugi didn't want to die and Atem had been in the afterlife for some time.

"Yugi!" Atem called out to him. He saw nothing, but the door remained behind him so he could get out if he needed to. He walked forward, hoping Yugi would show himself eventually but as he did Yugi's fear kept increasing… he had to find him soon, let him know he was here. "YUGI!" He shouted louder.

"No need to shout." Yugi said from behind him.

Atem spun on his heel and sighed in relief upon seeing him… only something was off.. He wasn't afraid but the feeling he felt… Yugi in the real world was terrified… so why wasn't he afraid here?

"Yugi… are you okay?"

"I've been better… but it won't be long until I'm comfortable again." Yugi shrugged.

Atem squinted… this wasn't Yugi. It looked like him.. But it wasn't him. Was this an illusion? An image created by his subconscious?

"Do you know where this place is?" Atem asked him.

"This is … the Veil, correct? The place you go when you're neither dead or alive… the place you go if your passing through." Yugi said as he looked around nonchalantly.

"Aren't you afraid?" Atem asked… he knew he wasn't but he was probing him, trying to figure out what he was.

"If anything this is heaven. Don't you understand? This is the closest I've gotten to being with you again. I mean… until recently. You were with me all the time… and then you were gone… and now you're here again but being here… was still the closest we've EVER been to one another." Yugi said, smiling almost wickedly… his sincerity didn't meet his eyes and his words made him uncomfortable.

"This isn't real though Yugi. This is a dream."

"I know… but a lovely dream. I tried to get close to you once… but he locked me away…" Yugi said as his eyes became downcast…

He? Atem wondered… the real Yugi?

Yugi looked up at him again, grinning. He came over to him, taking his hand in his and gingerly stroking his fingers.

"You feel so real. I can't imagine how real you'd feel if he let me out… all I want to do is bring him closer to you, bring you closer to me. We could be you know… for eternity… closer than we've ever been without anyone around to get in our way or tear us apart." Yugi said, his eyes sparkling. But it was cold… wicked… as was his touch.

"What are you talking about?" Atem asked him.

"Death… eternal rest… if he just let me out to play I could bring you and he closer than anything."

"D… you're talking suicide?"

"Yes. I tried once… apparently it was enough for everyone else to interfere… they got to him before I could make sure it was done right… and then he chained me away and for years I've been locked in darkness, only able to whisper in his ear on occasion when his defences were down… but recently the locks been broken and here I am." Atem understood completely now… the chained door he had seen… it kept this Yugi inside, and this Yugi was him from when he was at his lowest… his demon… so this was what was tormenting Yugi… trying to convince him that death was the only way to bring them closer together… he had heard that depression was a demon seeking to kill you… this was Yugi's demon.

He pulled his hand away from him and stepped away… he saw Yugi's face before him but the man was not his Yugi… not even close to him.

"I want you to go back into your cell and stay there." He said strongly. He knew the demon would ignore him, he wouldn't back down that easily, but from here he could challenge him.

Yugi laughed incredulously, raising his eye brows as if asking if he was serious.

"You don't want that." Yugi laughed, stepping closer to Atem. He stepped away from him but Yugi kept advancing. "You want to be closer to Yugi than he does… I know you do… and you want him to want to be close to you too…" Yugi said. Atem backed into a wall he didn't realise was there and in that moment Yugi pressed his body against his, standing nose to nose with him, grin to uncomfortably parted lips and deep crimson eyes to his bright violet ones…

"You want this… you want him to be this close to you… closer even… but in here… it's not real as you say. Out there, it's even less real… but if I had control… I could bring us closer." Yugi whispered to him, moving his lips just inches from his own. He could feel his breathing against him, the cold of his body through his tunic and his hands grasping at his waist to stroke his skin.

"Get off me. Go back to your cell before I drag you there myself." Atem threatened.

"Do it. I dare you to touch me." Yugi said cockily.

Atem did as he was told, roughly taking Yugi's wrists but as he did so Yugi used his own strength to push his hands above his head against the white wall behind him. In the brief moment he had been incapacitated Yugi breathed down his neck, nuzzling his jaw ever so lightly as one of his hands wondered down his chest, down his stomach and to the golden belt around his hips.

"Get off me!" Atem snapped at him, using his strength to full push Yugi off him and distance himself from him.

"Why deny it Pharoah? You want him to touch you like this. And deep down, he knows he is nothing without you. I'm just trying to help him… if he can be with you for eternity, think of what you both can do… he will be himself again, the strongest form of him and you can have him for as long as you both exist, in any and every way possible."

"Yugi is already the strongest form of himself. Locking you away is proof of that. He has survived more in his life than you can threaten him with-"

"Thats cute. You really believe that? Your as b asd as he is when it comes to honesty." Yugi spat.

"..." Atem was silent… He believed this Yugi to be wrong, he believed his Yugi to be stronger than hes ever been but the conviction of this dark version of him was undeniable.

Yugi grinned, chuckled to himself as he found his silenxe amusing before he clicked his fingers. Tje sound echoed throughout the vast whiteness as a door shifted into existance behind him. The same metal vault door, complete with broken locks and hanging rusted chains… this Yugis cell… why did he summon it? What was he planning?

"I'm not finished with Yugi. Until he comes to terms with who he is I belong here. But so long as you protect him I guess I wont be making much progress. So ill wait… After all… the longer you remain with him, the weaker he will become and the easier my job will be. So chain me up, lock me away… I'll come out to play later." Yugi said shrugging lazily as he stepped inside the Darkness of his cell.

Atem hesitated but as Yugi waited for him to close the door he approached. He was about to push completely closed when Yugis hand stopped it, pushing ayainst him with ease.

"I wonder though, Pharoah… it's one thing for Yugi to embrace the truth… But what about you? I wonder if he's not the only one that needs to do a little soul searching… just food for thought." Yugi left him with, allowing him to close the door on him. Atem wasted no time in locked the chains back up and checking that the door could not be opened before he stepped away, allowing himself to release the breath he hadn't realised he was holding.

The words played on his mind and aggravated him. The nerve he had to claim he wasnt honest with himself and to claim that he desired Yugi in such a perverted and disrespectful way was outrageous. He felt his blood boiling at the concept but he was more mad with himself for not putting him in his place. The dark side of Yugi was locked away again now amd Yugi should be able to sleep in peace without being tormented by his demon… But he didn't feel this was a victory at all. The darkness locked itself away, willingly, robbing him of any success here today and it did so with such ridiculing arrogance that he felt insulted.

Even now though he had to admit… He was relieved that regardless on how at least it was locked away again. He felt such power coming from it when it touched him and even as it spoke that it was incredible that Yugi didn't succumb to it sooner…

But… it did say something peculiar… that Yugi had tried to see Atem once before… that if he had succeeded then they could have been together forever… but Atem had been in the afterlife and his demon had been locked away since his friends saved him from his self isolation and self destruction… the only way he could have attempted such a feat would have been during that time of his life but … they failed to mention that to him.

Demons play on fears… they twist truths and get inside your head… this demon was no different.

He felt Yugis fear dwindling now, turning to something akin to content clarity. leaving his subconcious to watch the boy sleepijg in his bed confirmed that Yugu was npw sleeping soundly.

Reaching out to touch him he realised he would not be able to feel the boys skin against his fingers, or brush the hair from his face…

'You want him to touch you like this.' Yugis demon sang in the halls pf his mind. He remembered how he felt when Yugi snuggled against him in his own bedroom, how rigid and nervous he felt feelunh his hody fill in this spaces and mould against his almost perfectly, how he felt his breathing calm and relax as he held him…

No… this is nonsense. Cruel delusions used to confuse him and weaken his resolve. He cared for Yugi but it was nothing of tje sort. Besides… they could never be even if Yugi felt that way about him… what kind if relationship could they have had as a spirit and living human?

He pushed the thought away in frustration and took to sitting in Yugi's desk chair, staring up at the stars above them through his skylight - something he always enjoyed doing no matter how he felt, it made him temporarily able to clear his mind as he got lost within worlds above them.


	15. 15

Yugi stirred awake softly this morning, slowly blinking away the sleep as it's gentle embrace left him. The morning light of the blue sky lit his room, brushing at his mind to wake like a mothers touch.

As he rolled over he glanced Atem huddled over his desk, sleeping on his arms hunched over like he had been there all night.

Yugi smiled half heartedly and sighed silently, very carefully shifting the blankets off him and stretching slowly, careful not to pull too far and only as much as his ribs would allow.

"Atem…" Yugi whispered to him when he was done. Atem didn't budge though and for a moment Yugi allowed him the rest. He remembered briefly the beginning of his nightmare again… he was in the void of white just like last time, and just like last time he watched as his friends and family lived their lives without him… he felt alone and scared again… but then as if blown away by some force of nature he was pulled from it and all around him was a comforting force of warmth and protection… he couldn't explain more than that but it made him feel safe… As Atem slept soundly at his desk, clearly exhausted again, he assumed he had something to do with it. Whatever he did for him he succeeded… he didn't want to wake him but he felt Atem would rest better safe within his mind rather than left at his desk.

"Atem." Yugi sang a little more forcefully now.

Atem chest expanded deeper as he sighed and adjusted his position. He was getting to him. "Atem."

He hid his head in his arms, stretching slowly before lifting his head to see him.

"Oh Yugi." He yawned.

"Go get some sleep buddy." Yugi giggled softly.

"Huh?"

Yugi took them inside his mind, straight to Atem's bedroom and as the desk and chair left him Yugi quickly caught him and gently pushed him onto his bed.

"Hey." Atem complained, but he was so tired he could barely deny him.

"Get some sleep." Yugi ordered him kindly.

Atem shot him a glare though while he was so tired it was more amusing to Yugi than anything. Regardless Atem crawled underneath his covers while Yugi drew the massive curtains by the opening to his balcony, darkening the room completely so he could rest in peace.

"Are you okay?" Atem yawned.

"I'm good, thanks to you I think. We can talk about it later though. Sleep." Yugi told him before he left his mind and back to the real world.

Throughout the day Yugi stayed within his office working on his own little project while Atem was asleep. He believed he had everything he would need if he went through with it, it was just a risk factor now. He was convinced he may be able to learn something from Ms. Chang but he was weary to relay his intentions to her… afterall his research is a result of years of work… to others it is impossible and to the open minded it was reckless wrought with unforeseen dangers. No matter who he let in for this project none would endorse it… Still, next time they went to visit her perhaps he'd be able to look around without drawing too much attention. His next thing to worry about would be talking Atem into it… he knew at first he'd refuse him but if he could explain his theories then perhaps he might have a chance at trying his hand.

He looked at the time and saw it was well passed lunch time and sighed. He could do nothing with Atem asleep though and he'd like to get his friends approval too. He'd need to get as much support as possible to ensure maximum success and even then, it'd help if he could get the rest of his friends seeing Atem too. All of this would need to wait until they visit Ms. Chang again.

He went to go make him some ramen for lunch. Granpda was downstairs in the shop cleaning cards when Yugi came in to give him some tea. He was doing much better at climbing up and down stairs now and the medication he took for the pain was getting weaker. He was limited in his movements still but he was recovering quickly.

He was listening to Grandpa update him on the days events, sucking up his ramen when Atem floated out from his mind and smiled upon seeing him.

"Hey!" Yugi greeted him internally after swallowing.

"Hello." Atem giggled.

"Feeling any better?" Yugi asked him as he took another bite?

"Quite. Thank you. How about you? How are you?"

Yugi nodded as he chowed down on the rest of his ramen and excused himself from Grandpa to return upstairs.

"I'm good. I've been catching up on some work. Thought I'd take a little break." Yugi said pleasantly.

He leaned on the kitchen bench counter as Atem leaned on one leg and crossed his arms over his chest.

"You did something about my nightmares didn't you?" Yugi asked him. Atem blinked in surprise at how forward the question was but smiled all the same.

"I may have had a hand in it. I trust you slept better?"

"I did. Thank you. I'm sorry you've been losing sleep over this."

Atem waved him off, shaking his head no. Yugi felt such warmth coming from him and he found his heart melting… he really appreciated everything Atem did for him.

"Can I ask what you did?" Yugi asked. Atem's mood shifted so quickly then that it took him by surprise. The feelings of love and happiness was quickly replaced with apprehension and discomfort. What was it they he saw in his subconscious that made him feel this way?

"I just needed to put something away that temporarily got free, it was causing some mischief." Atem said stiffly.

"Atem…"

"It was nothing much Yugi. The important thing is that you and I should be resting easy now." Atem said with a warm smile. The smile was genuine, strong… almost enough to convince Yugi he was telling the truth… but his curiosity was stronger. It may have been fine as he said but it was enough to make his mood shift and that was enough for him to be concerned.

"What have you been working on?" Atem asked him quickly.

"Oh… um.. Just some catch up work. I've still got those artifacts I brought over to examine, I've just been working through their documents. I'm ready to get them out now and take a look if you want to watch me do something more fun than paperwork." Yugi smiled. He'd probe him later. For now he didn't want to make him feel more uncomfortable than was necessary… whatever it was could wait.

"Yugi!" Grandpa called out to him.

"Yeah?"

"Delivery is here."

"Oh." Yugi said excitedly as he walked quickly downstairs.

"Delivery?" Atem asked him, floating behind him.

"I'm expecting a shipment from the museum." Yugi told him as he greeted the man at the door.

"Dr. Moto?" The man asked him.

"Yes."

"Terrific. There's two crates. If you could sign this I'll get them off the truck for you. Where do you want them? They're pretty heavy."

"Back room is fine, I'll take you there. I'm sorry, I'd help you carry them but I've just gotten out of the hospital." Yugi said to him kindly as he handed him back the clipboard.

"That's okay, we've got this." The man said and trumped off towards the truck.

"Back room?" Grandpa asked.

"I cleared some space earlier, I hope you don't mind." Yugi shrugged innocently.

"And my stock?"

"They'll be out of here before the truck comes in." Yugi waved him down. He lead the men carrying the large wooden crates on flatbeds around the counter and into the back storage area where Grandpa kept his reserves.

They delivered both crates, shook his hand and like that were off.

Yugi was so excited, rubbing his hands together eagerly as Grandpa crossed his arms, clearly unimpressed by his grandsons intrusion but not even he could stay mad with him for long. After all, he was the same when he was his age.

Taking a crowbar he'd prepared earlier he aimed it at the box but Grandpa and Atem both stopped him.

"What?"

"You're not supposed to do anything strenuous. Let me." Grandpa said. Yugi took the crowbar from him though before he could take it.

"It's okay I wont get hurt." Yugi insisted

They heard the door bell ring again as someone else entered the shop, forcing Grandpa to leave him to try and pry open the lid himself. Stabbing the crowbar between the lid and box he pushed down, slowly lifting the lid as it budged and protested. It was tougher than it looked but with enough force he could do this, he knew he could.

"Yugi!" Grandpa called. Yugi relaxed and rested on the crowbar.

"What?"

"Let Joey help you." He called back to him as Joey came around the corner.

"Hey, what cha doin?" Joey asked him as he examined the boxes and the crowbar.

"Trying to pry these open. I suppose I should let you do it huh?" Yugi asked, unamusedly as Grandpa leaned against the doorframe watching.

"Yep. Let me handle dis." Joey said proudly as he took the bar from him.

"Just be very careful Joey. What's inside that is worth more than this shop."

"Hey." Grandpa barked at him. Yugi shrugged him off as Joey lifted the lid.

"Alright. Other one too Yug?"

"Yes please! Thank you!" Yugi said excitedly as he kicked over a step so he could look inside better without hurting himself too much.

Atem floated above him, looking over his shoulder curiously as he rummaged through the straw and air packets and hundreds of little foam fingers protecting whatever lay inside.

He found a small booklet of papers stapled together and handed them to Joey until his fingers briefly brushed over each object within.

"How many items are on the docket?" Yugi asked Joey.

"Uhh…"

Yugi took the papers back from him briefly and counted.

"Okay they're all here." Yugi said to himself as he handed the papers back to him and moved the step to the second crate.

Again he found the papers, counted the numbers and searched around until he was satisfied.

"Alright." Yugi whispered as he hopped down to take out a pair of latex gloves he'd also prepared earlier and jumped back on the step.

"Grandpa can you please get Joey a pair of gloves? I need you to lay out the objects on the table over there." Yugi told Joey as Grandpa left momentarily.

He searched through the packaging and very carefully he lifted up an object wrapped carefully in various bubblewraps and papers and handed it to Joey.

"Uhh I don't have gloves yet."

"It's just bubblewrap, the gloves are for after." Yugi told him as he searched for another object. "Do not drop it, make sure it doesn't roll. Be very very careful." Yugi warned him. Joey nodded, carrying the object like it was a baby and very carefully placed it on the table they used for sorting through stock.

"What are these Yug?"

"These … are 4000 year old… Mesopatamiun… objects. Some of them are statues, some of them are religious idols… all of them are going on display this weekend." Yugi said as he lifted up another object. Grandpa returned then and handed the gloves over Joey after he was finished handling the second object.

"4000?" Joey asked incredulously.

"Yes and they're under my care."

"That's an incredible responsibility Yugi." Atem beamed. Yugi blushed and smiled as he fished out another object.

"Why are they in your care? Don't you have the Nameless Pharoah coming up?" Grandpa asked as he put on his own gloves.

"Yes but while Hanson is away I'm the only senior archaeologist in the city at the moment so until he gets back I'm in charge."

"I see."

Once they were all out Yugi took to very carefully opening the packaging just enough to see what they were and check them off the lists he had.

"I can't believe they're 4000 years old." Joey said quietly as he watched Yugi examine what looked like a figurine.

"They're in such a good condition…" Yugi said almost to himself.

"Why don't you take these up to your study?" Grandpa suggested.

"I will. You wanna help?"

They took several trips going up and down stairs, carefully transferring all 12 objects into his study. Yugi hastily made some room to place them all and once they were all secured he sighed in relief and excitement. He's been waiting for these to arrive for 3 weeks and with the exhibition coming up he was running out of time to get them documents and ready for display. He had 3 days before the exhibit was ready so he was going to very busy tonight. Which meant he'd probably need Atem to give him some space tonight… he didn't want to but not even his boss would accept spending time with his 3000 year old friend as an excuse.

"So what do you have to do?" Joey asked.

"I have to check for any damage, document them and prepare them for display. I've got 3 days before they go on show and they have to be in the museum in 2 … so … my other work has to wait." Yugi said thoughtfully.

"Can you do it?"

"Cutting it close but yes. First though, Joey. Do you want to see Atem?" Yugi asked him suddenly.

"See him?" Joey asked before his eyes lit up. "Thats right! Tea said something last night about getting some kind of crystal and now she can see him. How though?"

"Come with me. You don't mind do you?" Yugi asked Atem. By the look on his face though he was excited for Joey to be able to see him.

"You don't need to ask me Yugi."

"Okay. Lets go."


	16. 16

They took the same route to Ms. Changs that they took yesterday and as soon as Ms. Chang saw them she nodded, knowing exactly why they were here.

"Yugi Moto. You're keeping my business alive, I should be giving you a percentage. Though something tells me good fortune is coming your way shortly." She beamed as she came around the corner to greet them.

"Really? Well then this can be on me." Yugi smiled.

"Joseph Wheeler. Lovely to meet you." She said sweetly as she took his hand in hers.

"You know my name. You're really a psychic huh?" Joey laughed nervously.

"I know you from my grandson. He follows your career in dueling." She giggled, taking him to the backroom.

"Oh really?"

"Has Yugi explained to you what we're doing here today?" Ms. Chang asked.

"Kinda but I still don't get it."

"Do you have the cards?" Ms. Chang asked Yugi. He got them from his pocket and gave them to Joey.

"Not the dark magician." Atem smiled to Yugi.

"Don't worry I've got that in my wallet." Yugi smiled back to Atem. Atem was taken my surprise at his forethought and his smile widened at the flattery.

"It's very simple. All you need to do is pick a card belonging to our spirit friend Yami. This card will serve as bridge between you both. I'm then going to attune this crystal to the card you choose and then so long as you keep both the card and crystal on you, you will be able to see your friend." Ms. Chang explained.

"So all I need to do is pick one of these?" Joey asked as he fanned out the deck card by card. "Hey Yug, dis is …"

"Yep we know. It's okay." Yugi interrupted him quickly.

"Okay… in dat case I'll pick … Big Shield Gardna. Shame you dont have a flaming swordsman in here man." Joey joked.

"Now I take one for a moment." Ms. Chang said as she slid one off the top of the deck. Yugi then took the others from Joey as he handed her the card he picked.

Just as she did before she placed the items on the desk and began to chant.

"I'm going to take a look around. Stay here." Yugi told Joey quietly. "You should probably stay put too… just incase it affects the spell." Yugi told Atem before slipping out of the room.

Out of sight he took to looking in the book section, breezing through the titles on the spines. There were several that caught his eye but reading briefly the blurbs he realised it was more for comfort and grief rather than actual application. He wasn't surprised though; it was extremely unlikely a book on what he was looking for would be laying around in plain sight. Its possible she'd have had something in a more serious stash but he still wasn't sure how to approach this.

Soon enough Atem, Joey and Ms. Chang walked out, talking happily to one another as they approached him. Joey was gushing, bombarding Atem with questions and enthusiastic energy while Ms. Chang handed him the card she used and followed him back to the counter pleasantly.

"Your friends must adore him. He's quite unique isn't he?" She asked him.

"He is." Yugi said pleasantly. "How much do I owe you?"

"Total 1100 yen. Yugi… there's something different about you today than there was yesterday."

Yugi looked through his wallet for his cash card to pay her, hovering it over the device to pay. "I'm pretty busy now. I've got a large job to do today, likely going to take all night."

"For your work yes? This is something different… I didn't sense it yesterday but now you're here today … you seem to be missing something… or rather… it's more like something has temporarily stopped burdening you."

"How do you mean?" Yugi asked her as he put his wallet away. She squinted… thinking… before she offered her hand for him to take.

"Something… has been partially removed from you. Removed is too strong… Sealed away... Perhaps. Do you feel happier today? As if a burden has been lifted from your shoulders?"

"Uhh… maybe? I mean not really, I've got that job to do now and not a lot of time to complete it. So I've gotta make sure Yami is entertained while I work and hope I can get it done in time, so I don't really have that much weight off my shoulders." Yugi laughed.

"Did you sleep better last night?"

Yugi blinked in surprise and smiled at the fond memory.

"Yes I did. I've been having nightmares lately but Yami has been around to protect me. I was able to sleep well last night so maybe thats whats different?"

"I expect you to be having nightmares considering your recent experiences." She looked to Atem who had been talking still with Joey, completely unaware of their conversation. "He's been protecting you. Yes I agree with this statement. He seems different as well from yesterday… for the opposite reason though. He seems more tired today… weighed down. He is happy… but something is licking at his mind… I suggest you make some time for him tonight between your work before the licking becomes gnawing." Ms. Chang said sweetly.

Yugi watched him talking with such warmth and bright eyes, his smile was genuine and his happiness was real too… had something been bothering him? He slept most of the day but he had stayed up almost all night again for his sake… they didn't have a lot of time to talk about last night but there was that moment earlier in the kitchen.. He seemed bothered by something and easily deflected from the topic… whatever it was must have had something to do with what he was forced to do last night… but what?

He shrugged it off. He told himself he would make time for him tonight as she suggested. He cared deeply for his friend but bringing it up now was not the time.

Once they got out and they began their walk home Yugi offered for Joey to stay a little longer today to keep Atem company while he worked. They were both very excited to do this and Joey told him he'd go home briefly to pick up a game he'd like to show Atem and would meet them later.

So now it was only Atem and Yugi with Grandpa still minding the shop. Atem was very happy that Joey could talk to him now and was saying all they needed now was Tristan and possibly even Duke and Mai if they wished. Yugi was happy too though a part of him wondered how long this would be necessary… if his own project went well then this would be temporary.

It wasn't long before Joey came back with some console games to show Atem and they were quickly stuck into that while Yugi retired to his study.

Hours passed as Atem watched Joey play several games, some of which looked very difficult and others Atem made mental notes of to try when he could take over Yugi's body again.

As night began to darken the room and they stopped a moment to turn the light on they wondered how Yugi was doing and decided to be very quiet in stealing a peak into the study.

He had kept the door open just enough so Atem could be with Joey without being locked inside the room with him, so it was easy enough look inside without disturbing him. The light was off but the lamp on the desk was on as Yugi was huddled over something. He was moving though and it sounded like he was brushing off something so he was definitely awake… he'd need to take a break soon though but they didn't want to startle him.

They stepped away a bit to talk without spooking him.

"He's dedicated." Atem said fondly.

"He is. He works himself too hard some times."

"I heard that." Yugi's voice sang from inside the room.

"Oh! Sorry Yug we didn't mean to interrupt." Joey told him as he slightly pushed the door open.

"Can you turn the light on please?" Yugi asked as he put down his brush and stretched. "And it's kinda hard to sneak up on someone when one of them is one I can sense the presence of. How'd the games go?"

"Great! I'd actually be interested in trying some of them when your free next." Atem said happily.

"Of course. Might not be for a few days yet though." Yugi said as he stood, stretching out his knees and back.

"How's the work going?" Joey asked.

"I've done 4 now. I've just gotta repack this one and then I can start number 5." Yugi said. "It's getting around dinner time though. What were you going to do? Did you wanna bring Mai over here? Perhaps we could invite the others too?" Yugi offered.

"Are you trying to keep me busy?" Atem asked jokingly.

"No…. not… entirely… kinda… yeah. I don't want you to get bored or lonely while I work is all." Yugi blushed.

"It's okay Yugi, I've got plenty of things I can do that wont disturb you. Of course if you would like to get everyone over here I'd be more than happy to hang around you as well." Atem directed that to Joey.

"I think we might need to make it another night buddy. I think Tea's got a thing tomorrow morning and Mai's home tonight so I got some boyfriend duties to take care of." He said winking.

"Okay, another night then. Thank you for coming over and showing me those games of yours." Atem said happily.

"No problem! I'll come over again tomorrow so I'll leave em here tonight. Yug you have to take a break and eat something before you start the next one okay." Joey nagged him to which Yug waved him off lazily.

"Yeah yeah. Go home lover boy." Yugi joked.

"See ya dude. Don't forget to rest up." Joey said. "See ya dude." Joey waved by to Atem and saw himself out.

"Which game are you interested in?" Yugi asked Atem.

"It was one of the racing games. It looked relaxing." Atem said pleasantly as he floated over to look at the idol on his desk. It was a woman holding a baby, but with the erosion the features could barely be made clear unless you were trained to know better.

"This is a fertility statue. It's meant to bring good blessings to a new family." Yugi explained.

"You can see that from this?" Atem asked.

Yugi giggled. To the untrained eye it looked more like a vaguely shaped stone. He took a seat, his brush and chisel and rolled it around in his fingers. With the chisel he traced loosely where everything was.

"This is a woman. She's holding a babe to her breast and wheat in her other hand. These are given by priests on the day of wedlock to promote healthy conception and harvest." Yugi explained further.

Atem was visibly impressed, his lips parted in surprise as he looked between the statue and Yugi.

"Thats incredible. That's a very lovely gift."

"It is. More modern versions of this gift is recorded throughout history in almost every culture but what makes this one so special is it's age. This particular statue is 4132 years old. 2100 years BC… give or take. It's about 1000 years older than you."

"Thats amazing. And the others?"

"About the same. The one over there is actually a protective charm against plague, there's a childs toy over there and a vase fragment as well. The rest of these are … all sorts of things." Yugi yawned.

"Seem like you could use a break." Atem said fondly.

Yugi shook his head no.

"4 of 12… and 1 and half days to complete… I won't be sleeping tonight." Yugi said. "In saying that though, you will be. You shouldn't be pulling another all nighter again." Yugi told him.

"It's not like you can make me… but I do need to stay out of your hair right? Perhaps I will… but Yugi even if it's only a few hours." Atem nagged.

"Maybe… we'll see. If I can get 6 done tonight then I will. Deal?"

"Thats only 2 more… I can accept this." Atem smiled.

Yugi smiled back and then remembered what Ms. Chang had said. Judging by the sky outside Grandpa would be getting dinner ready soon.. So now was as good a time as any.

"Do you wanna talk about last night?" Yugi asked.

"Oh?"

"I'm a bit worried about you. You seemed bothered earlier and we haven't had a lot of time together today."

"I'm okay Yugi, thank you for asking." Atem waved him off.

"Come on. Something's weighing on you. It's not overtly obvious but you can't hide from me."

"On the contrary I have a lot of places I could hide from you now." Atem joked but Yugi didn't find this funny and instead just watched him, waiting until he sighed. "I guess I'm still just a little sorry for you… Knowing what you went through when I left. I know we've been through this before, I don't need you to try and explain it further, it's just… delving into your subconscious last night brought to life a little more on what you went through and I can't help but worry a little."

"Is that all?" Yugi asked.

"Yes. I told you it was nothing to worry about. You'd be the same were the roles reversed." Atem giggled nervously.

"True. You're incredibly important to me, like the other half of my soul… I like to think I'm acutely aware of you and your feelings so if there's anything bothering you, no matter how big or small it is, I like to think that perhaps you'll be able to rely on me… right?" Yugi asked him.

"Of course Yugi." Atem smiled sweetly as he looked upon the boys eyes. He thought a moment, as Yugi held his gaze. He knew his mind was racing and he was waiting to see if he would take the prompt… looking into his eyes now though he thought perhaps he could elaborate a little more truthfully.

… Truthfully… the words his demon said echoed in his mind, weighing his heart down. He was bothered… but he wasn't sure if he could accept why. There was one thing he could use to distract himself though.

"You… told me everything regarding that dark period of your life right? I mean… everything?" Atem asked.

Yugi blinked and immediately Atem felt apprehension and a thin wall being erected… so it was true… there was something else he hadn't mentioned. He waited, hoping he'd tell him the truth now.

"Everything I want to share. Nothing else is important. Details you don't need to visualise. If I explained to you every little thing it'd only hurt."

"Yugi… you can tell me anything you know. I've accepted what happened, what you did and why… if there's anything else you think I can't handle I promise you I can." Atem said sweetly, ducking down to meet his eye level.

Yugi was hesitating.

"It's 6 years in the past now Atem. It's not important." He said quietly.

"I see. Well I can't make you tell me… but you wanted to know why I was 'weighed down' as you put it. What I saw in your subconscious made me more aware of what might have happened and I just can't help but wonder if you had told me everything." Atem explained.

"I haven't told you everything… but what I've left out I've left out because I don't want to revisit it. Not because I don't want you to know but because I don't want to think about it. Is that… okay?" Yugi asked him sweetly.

Atem blinked before he smiled warmly. If anything that statement alone confirmed his thoughts but he did wish Yugi would tell him… but he understood if it was too painful.

"Yes that's fine. I don't want to push you Yugi but know that I am here for you now, for whatever you need." He said warmly.

"Thank you. I'm going to finish this up and then take a little break."

"Good to hear." Atem said brightly. He seemed to really approve of the idea of him stepping away from his desk, though it'd only be for a little while.


	17. 17

He ended up spending the next hour after dinner letting Atem play the racing game he mentioned earlier. He was very much enjoying himself and Yugi admitted to himself he loved seeing him have so much fun and trying so hard to get the corners right. It brought out his competitive streak and once he had won yet another race in a row he put the controller down to rest.

"Thank you Yugi. That was fun." He said kindly.

"You didn't want to keep playing?" Yugi asked him.

"I would love to but perhaps I should let you keep working. I know you've got a lot to do and you won't go to sleep until it's done right?"

"You're not wrong. Okay." Yugi said and without warning Atem switched places with him.

"You'll be alright?" Yugi asked.

"Yeah. I've got some things I can do to kill time without getting in the way. It'll be nice to visit some places I used to go to back in the day."

"Okay. Well then I'll come look for you if I need to yeah?"

"Sure thing. Get some sleep." Atem urged again before disappearing.

Now alone he closed the door behind him and sat down at his desk, letting out a sigh he hadn't realised he was holding in. He wondered what it was he had seen in his subconscious but the words he was choosing suggested he might have been referring to his attempt of suicide…. He didn't particularly want to keep this from him but he really wanted to keep that story buried… he had already uncovered his scars to him and having grown so much in these past years he felt delving any deeper would be unnecessary.

He pushed it away and got to work. He needed to focus.

Atem wondered the halls of his Palace aimlessly. He couldn't wait for Yugi to finish with his work. He knew with his job now that Yugi wouldn't have had as much time for him like he used to but he just wished there was something he could do to help besides give him space but there was nothing he could do from within the puzzle … and he knew nothing of archaeology.

Sighing he decided to give up searching for a memory to sit within and instead visit the room he had created yesterday. He hadnt been vack here since creating it; he felt bothered still by what Yugis dark side had said to him… But he wanted to spend time with Yugi… Even if it wasn't real. He knew Yugi well enough yo make this copy of him feel it and perhaps that wpuld sate his desire for company. As he stared ay the door thougu he chuckled. He had never been so needy before… perhaps it had some5hing to do with the time between them… Even though he barely felt that much time had gone by it was evident in the way Yugi and his friends nda he felt a strong need to learn and absorb as much as he could to fill the distance. Yes… that must have been it. And while Yugi required space to complete his work then it would be absolutely fine if he spent time with a cognitive version of him instead, even for just the company.

Opening the door he found the room inside had changed somewhat to his surprise. No longer was it just an empty room ready to be filled but rather it resemvled Yugis bedroom. For a moment he thought he had crossed into the real world but as he looked in the mirror and saw his own body staring back ay him he knew this had to be in his mjnd. He smiled to uomself fondly… his subconscious must chosen what he truly desired and that was nothing more than a quiet amount of time with Yugi.

"Atem! There you are." Yugi said from his desk, smiling brigjtly at him. He looked happier, less tired and certaibly nlt in the middle of anything.

"Yugi…"

Yugi came to greet him, standing a half a head smaller than he, his hands behind his back and large lavender eyrs sparlling at him. He appeared younger… perhaps as he did all those years ago but his shoulders and arms were older… perhaps this was him now just without the fatigue of the last week wearing him down.

"This is my image of you, yes?" Atem asked the Yugi before him. He half expected it to ansaer cluelessly but his warm yet knowledgeable smile made him think otherwise.

"This is your hearts desire. Want you want more than anything, even that which is out of your control, is what will appear in this room." Yugi explained before he looked around, raking in the sights himself. "It appears what you want more than anything is to kust spend time with me, without worrying about whatever drama comes up next. I dont blame you. Between my work and people tryijg to kill us, a quiet night to catch ip is likely what i want as well."

"So your aware that you aren't the real Yugi?" Atem asked curiiusly.

Yugi smiled and gently, cautiously trook his hand.

"I can be as real as you want me to be. Whatever happens in here is between you and your mind… not the real Yugi. But even though I migh6 not be real, the emotions and memories you make here can be considered real for you."

"So whatever happens in here is limited to my mind and imagination then?"

"For the most part. Your are in almost complete control of what happens here."

"Almost?"

"This room is directly affected by your hearts desire whether you are aware of it or not. This room is proof of that. If you want something to happen or if you want to redo or even erase what just happened you have that power. What you are not in control of is the manifstation of what your heart truly desires… you may not want to come to terms with truths about yourself… alternatively this room could help you learn about yourself too. Of course if you don't like what you see you still have the power to erase it from this room."

"I see."

Yugi's lips pulled to a cheeky smirk and his sparkled with something he didn't expect. He looked cheeky but why? What was he about to do?

"This room can allow you to be as honest with yourself as you like… what you do with that and how you let it shape you is your own doing. The real Yugi won't know a thing of what happens here but unless you close the door behind you he may still feel the emotions you feel." Yugi warned him.

Atem blinked and hastily he closed the door… only he wasn't sure why he felt the need to close it so quickly… It wasn't like he was hiding anything from him… perhaps he just didn't want to call his attention to him.

"Now… if you understand how this room works… why don't we watch a movie?" Yugi asked. Atem turned and the scenery behind him changed to that of the living room. The room was darkened, the couch made up with blankets and cushions, snacks and drinks were layed out for them and Yugi was nestled in his pajamas waiting for him to join in. The screen on the TV was white and glowing, providing much mood lighting and the movie was paused at the very start… he didn't know what would show but he supposed this was what his heart desired now… he could get used to this.

Atem spent hours watching movie after movie with Yugi cuddled against him. It turns out while this Yugi acted as he imagined Yugi in real life would act, making it feel as real as possible, he was also subject to Atem's desires too, acting and responding in a way he deep down wanted him to. How far that went between desire and truth he didn't know yet but for the time being Yugi didn't mind nestling in against him as they watched the 4th adventure/suspense/horror movie in a row.

It was after the end of this movie that Atem had decided to leave briefly to check on the real Yugi. He could sense he was still awake and thought he wouldn't disturb him but he would check on him. If anything to confirm he didn't suspect anything.

He found him in his study as he expected him to be typing on his laptop, nothing but its light and the desk lamp to light the room. He didn't seem to notice he snuck out so Atem watched, hovering carefully over him as he typed quickly as if some form of trance.

He must have had a small break at some point as he now had a hot chocolate with steaming beside him as the artifacts he had been working on were put aside.

He stopped for a moment… thinking… had he been found?

Yugi sighed, leant back in his chair and sipped at his drink, reading through what he had just typed before shaking his head and deleting an entire paragraph before typing away again. Looking over his shoulder at the time he saw it read 1:34 in the morning… he had been spending a lot longer on this than he thought he would. He wondered if he should bother him or if making a sound would spook him.

Yugi sighed again and reached for some paperwork nearby, skimming through it carefully before putting it aside to keep typing. He was busy… and much too invested in his work to stop now. He wanted for him to rest but perhaps he should let him be for now.

Returning inside to the room with the cognitive version of Yugi he found himself in his bedroom again, only this time Yugi was nestled in bed waiting for him to return.

"Hey." He said tiredly.

Atem blinked and smiled. He wanted him to sleep… and so now he was in bed even if it wasn't the real Yugi. His hearts desire was certainly amusing.

"I can't be the real Yugi… and you know in your heart that the real Yugi desires for nothing more than to be done with his work too, if anything so he too can rest like this. You're allowing him to do so by allowing him to work. Trust him. He's lived 6 years doing the same job without you… he'll find time to rest. So relax, come here." Yugi sang to him softly, beckoning him to join him in bed.

Atem blushed wildly, hesitating but conforming… his mind was wondering but he did his best to control it… he knew this room would act according to his desires but he was almost afraid of what that would mean.

Still… he climbed into bed beside him, the silk sheets gliding against his body as Yugi snuggled in close to him. His heart was pounding against his chest as he felt Yugi's skin press against his own and he felt his breath tickling his neck. He was tense but Yugi's relaxed arms and legs entwined around his, snuggling deep into him and squeezing the tension from him. His body was warm and as soft as silk. Intoxicating and it made him want Yugi to keep moving his body against his… and he did, sliding his legs up and down against his, pressing his chest and bare stomach against his own as his arms draped over his waist.

He felt hot under the sheets but it was such a warmth he craved more… he wondered if this was his hearts desire… was he lusting right now and this room happened to be responding to that? If so was this okay? He'd never lusted over Yugi before… was it Yugi he was lusting for or just the touch?

Yugi moved his face up to look him in the eyes, deep lavender locking with fiery violet. His lips were parted slightly and the blush across his cheeks deepened he felt himself wanting to move closer… to take the risk… to taste him…

Yugi moved closer to him, lifting his lips towards his as his eyes closed. His body moved up against his and it did he felt the hips of his counterpart push against stiffening crotch and for the briefest moment he felt his control slipping as Yugi pressed his lips against his.

His lips were so soft and the wetness of his tongue seduced him to press deeper and use his own tongue to dance with his. He tasted sweet like honey and sugar and as they moved together, hungrily taking one another in he became a lot more forceful with him. His hands ran through his hair as Yugi's slid down his body to his hips and back up to his shoulders. They pressed their hips together and Atem lifted himself up to lean over him, grinding his body against Yugi's lithe form.

Their movements were natural and as he fed off Yugi's lips his desires fed off his reactions. The way he breathed, the way his tongue searched for his own, the way his hands threatened to scratch down his back and the way his legs parted to allow him to grind freely against his pelvis. The heat he felt only grew even with the sheets thrown off them and the blood rushing to the lower part of his body only made him want to risk more.

It wasn't until he heard something click behind them did he pull back a little to gaze upon the heated boy beneath him, looking up at him with such wild lust in his eyes and redenned lips did he think to stop this.

This couldn't be what he desired… not with Yugi. He was too innocent, too much his friend for anything like this. If he was lusting it was not for Yugi… just … in general and Yugi happened to be here…

"This room responds to whatever you desire whether you want it or not… if you were truly lusting then you would have imagined the partner of your dreams, not me." Yugi said to him softly, playing with his ear seductively.

"No… I can't do this. Even if this isn't real, this isn't right."

"This is what you desire, what could be wrong with it?" Yugi asked him.

"This isn't mutual… you're… he's my closest friend. I can't pervert him like this." Atem said as he rushed off him, almost tripping over his feet as he did so.

"I see." Yugi said sadly before he sighed deeply. "Your desire for him can't be driven away… this scene can be but you cannot completely suppress your feelings for him. If you don't wish to embrace it you may turn away." Yugi said as he stood up from the bed.

Immediately the room became nothing but blank, empty white… a bare room waiting to be filled and Yugi ceased to be.

It truly did react to his mind and quicker than he thought it would… he felt an array of emotions beginning to overwhelm him and he desperately wanted to run away from it.

As if to answer his desire the room became his bedroom. No one was here and with the doors closed he felt disconnected… he was safe here… Yugi wouldn't sense him as long as the door was closed so here he could curl into his bed and stay… alone and safe as he sorted through what just happened.


	18. 18

When Atem came out after spending hours within his own mind he was greeted by daylight. He was in the study but the door was opened now and Yugi was currently examining some form of orb behind a magnifying glass. He sensed him immediately, glancing his way briefly. He seemed like he had no idea about what he did last night… but he wondered if he had even slept too…

"Good morning." Yugi said quietly to him. Was he okay? Maybe he was tired…

"Good morning. How are you?" Atem asked stiffly.

"I'm fine. Look at this." Yugi said as he beckoned him over. He floated over to him, hovering over his shoulder.

"Can you see through this?" Yugi asked him as he positioned the magnifying glass before him. The orb he was looking at appeared larger through the glass as it should.

"I can."

"This is an ornament. But notice the glass?" Yugi asked. He looked closer and as Yugi moved the orb ever so slightly he saw small shards of flat shiny surfaces glinting off the light. It looked like mosaic but it was so small he didn't think it could have been.

"What is it?" Atem asked him as he straightened back up.

"It's unprecedented. No matter where I look and who I call no one has ever found anything close to this level of craftsmanship of this era. The mosaic features are outstanding and so fine in detail. Its unfortunate that the rest didn't survive time. But based on the indentations throughout the rest of it I can piece together what it would have looked like had it survived." Yugi said as he put the orb carefully down and clicked something on his laptop.

An image appeared of an abstract mosaic picture. It didn't have any colours but as he clicked something else a simulation ran the mosaic around an 3D image of an orb, wrapping around it perfectly. He then typed something quickly and colours appeared on the pieces, showing a stream running through reeds and light blue sky above with the top of the orb being sunlight casting its rays downward.

"You got that from those little shards?"

"Not just the shards. The position of the indentations tells me where they're placed. The placement tells me what image it took form of and using the colours available to these people during this time period I was able to recreate what it would have looked like. This was the head of a staff, likely for ornamental purposes and the image depicts agriculture...this was likely inside a place of worship. The fact that these people had craftsmans of this skill is remarkable. It certainly sets the bar for artistry of this era." Yugi explained proudly.

"That's incredible Yugi. I'm impressed." Atem said happily.

"Thank you. I finished the paper on this, it's printing over there. I'm just so impressed with the level of detail these people were capable of without the technology we have today. The precision required to get such fine details would have required a master of highest calibre."

Yugi wheeled out and stretched forward, stretching out his knees and back as far as he could.

"Did you have fun last night?" Yugi asked him.

"Uhh… yes. Yes I was fine. Did you get any sleep?" Atem asked quickly. Yugi noticed the blush and felt the heat rising within him but he also felt something else he couldn't quite place as well as a wall quickly being erected between them. It wasn't like he was embarrassed but more… trying to run away…

"I didn't… but thats okay. I'm used to it. Are you okay?" Yugi asked him quickly.

"Fine. I'm fine. Why didn't you go to sleep? You told me you would."

"I was busy. I told you I'd go to sleep after my 6th one… that orb is my 6th one."

"You spent all night on 2 artifacts?" Atem asked… he seemed unusually frustrated with him… he had no idea why all of a sudden he was so mad with him.

"Yes, my works not exactly easy pal. It's okay, you of all people know this isn't the first time I've pulled an all nighter." Yugi said reasonably, trying to calm him down. Atem sighed though it felt more like a groan.

"Whats wrong?" Yugi asked him.

"Nothing. Just you need to take care of yourself more. You've not had a decent nights sleep in days, not likely since before you were hospitalised and that was almost a week ago now."

"Oh wow… has time gone by that quickly?" Yugi asked in sincere surprise.

"Yugi…"

"Atem." Yugi stood to face him, forcing him to meet his gaze. "It's fine." He said sternly.

"But…"

"I have work to finish. I can sleep when it's done and I promise you I will. If I don't you can take over and lock me away until I rest to satisfaction, okay?"

Atem searched his eyes and found earnesty… he didn't like it but he understood that he was pressed for time. If he made him sleep now before his work was complete he'd be even more stressed later to get it done.

"Fine." Atem said grudgingly. "I'll let you work today." He said and disappeared into his mind.

"Atem please don't be mad with me." Yugi said out loud, hoping to reach him still but he felt him closing his door.

Sighing in frustration he left to go have some breakfast.

Throughout the day Yugi worked hard on each artifact, examining them, cleaning them and writing down his findings, compiling his documents to submit to the museum. His friends came over over the course of the day but even after calling for Atem to come greet them he wouldn't come out and he needed to make some excuse for his absence.

In the afternoon he did take a break to leave the house with them after Tristan had closed his shop for the day to take him to Ms. Chang's. He did try to call Atem on the way, even to the point of knocking on his door but he had it locked and refused to answer. Thankfully Ms. Chang didn't require his presence and was able to make Tristan a crystal to use to see him when he does make his presence known.

Ms. Chang was able to sense that he was in a mood but in her honest opinion the best thing he could do would be to finish his work and give him some space. So he did just that.

He worked throughout the night again, fighting off urges to keep trying to get his attention and fighting of desires to sleep. It was well in the morning when he finally was able to press the print button on the last document when he could finally get up and stretch his legs.

He wasn't completely done yet though. While the documents printed he set to re-wrapping the artifacts safely in secure packaging and putting them together with their corresponding documents he had completed earlier. Once they were all gathered together and all ready to be repacked into the crates downstairs he turned off his computer for the first time in days and rubbed his eyes tiredly.

"Yugi…" He spun on his heel immediately, losing his balance and needing to use the desk to keep him steady as he blinked his dizziness away to spy Atem standing at the far side of the room, head down and shoulders inward… he looked somewhat huddled, as if he felt a weak resolve in being here or that he wanted desperately the safety of his own mind again.. But he was here… finally. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you."

"It's fine. Finally come out huh?"

Atem winced at his words, visibly appearing hurt by this. Yugi felt bad immediately. He didn't mean to sound like such an asshole, he was just so tired and irritated with him and everything else that he lacked tact right now.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to snap like that." He said tiredly.

"No it's fine. I deserve it. I'm sorry for getting angry earlier and ignoring you all day."

"I'm sorry too… I know you just want whats best for my health and being stuck within my mind with no other way of helping me must be frustrating."

"It is…" Atem said quietly.

"I'm finished now. All I've got left is to pack them back up into the crates and organise some kind of delivery to the museum today. I think I should be able to rent a trailer and deliver it with enough ease by the end of the day." Yugi said simply.

"So you'll be able to get some rest soon then?" Atem asked.

"Yep."

"What time is it now?" Atem asked.

"About 5 in the morning. I was thinking of either a shower or a nap… but I'm a little hesitant to nap incase I oversleep… I'd like to be able to rest without worry once I have these delivered."

"You've got about 3 hours at least before business opens. I can always wake you if you need." Atem suggested.

"True. I wouldn't want to impose though. I mean if you have anything else you'd prefer to do."

"Such as stay in my room all day?" Atem asked.

Yugi didn't respond… he felt like perhaps this was a trick question or a jab at himself… Atem was self-loathing… but why?

"Atem… can we please talk about whats going on here? I need you to help me understand what you're feeling, help me catch up to the same page you're on." Yugi said kindly.

"I'll wake you if it gets too late…"

"Stop running from me." Yugi snapped at him, making him jump. "Please… talk to me."

"What do you want me to say?"

"The truth would be nice. You were mad with me for staying up all night, you avoid me all day afterwards to 'give me space' and now you won't talk to me beyond niceties and apologies. Please… I'm tired. I'm losing my patience, please… just be straight with me. Tell me whats going on." Yugi urged him.

"Be straight with you? You want me to tell you whats going on when you won't tell me everything as well?" Atem snapped him. Yugi blinked in surprise… he wasn't expecting that response but at least he was finally getting somewhere. "Fine. I want you to take better care of yourself. I understand that the last couple of days you haven't been able to. You've had a lot of work to do in such a short amount of time and it's out of your control how you can spend your time other than taking care of whats been handed to you. I understand that. But it infuriates me that I can't do anything to help you except watch as you tire yourself beyond help and for what? There's still a madman out there wanting you dead. It's been almost a week since you almost died, by all accounts you have 3 weeks left at least before this man strikes again and thats if he doesn't do it sooner, and if you're exhausted because I can't help you beyond staying out of your way then I fear for you Yugi. I don't want anything to happen to you, no matter how trivial it is I just want you to be well and happy and safe. I care about you so much Yugi and I can't do a thing like this! The best I can do right now when it comes down to it is take over your body and take blows for you but if your body is worn out already there's still not much I can do for you there.

You work yourself to the bone and still you're standing here, exhausted for not having slept in 2 days, still recovering from your injuries which aren't getting the rest they need to heal and your still urging me to be honest with you, you're still trying to help me after everything you've done, and everything you've been through and on that note you're still protecting me from things in your past you won't let me in on despite that I already know what it is. You want me to be honest with you and yet you won't be honest with me either." Atem snapped quickly. He seemed to regret that last bit though, visibly back tracking and searching for a way out but it was too late.

"What did you say?" Yugi asked him quietly. His heart was racing. He felt afraid. Afraid of what he knew, afraid of what he'd seen and what he thought.

"Nothing just… I -"

"What do you know?"

"N-nothing."

Yugi brought them into his mind and immediately he rushed into his own room, racing down the hallway of bookcases Atem had walked down before.

"Yugi! Wait! Please let me explain." Atem called after him as he chased him down, trying to catch him. Yugi was fast though and escaped his clutches until he slowed to a stop before the vault door. He saw the chains and locks still in place but when Atem said nothing of any surprise he went to touch it. It repelled him though as a Millenium Eye appeared over the door… he couldn't touch it even if it wanted to… and the eye… he didn't put this here.

Yugi clenched his fists tightly… he couldn't quite understand the feelings coursing through him but anger was one of them.

"What did you see?" Yugi asked him.

"I didn't go inside. I spoke with who came out though."

"What did he tell you?"

He… Atem hung on that word… so the demon Yugi was no surprise to him.

"He hinted that you tried to commit suicide to see me. He hinted that you would have succeeded if it hadn't been for your friends… he didn't tell me the details but he was very… confident."

"How did he get out?" Yugi asked.

"I don't know. He's been in your subconscious since you've been dreaming… if I were to guess I'd say the locks you placed on this door broke when you died and he's been free since."

"So he's the reason I was having those nightmares and you put him away?"

"He put himself away… but yes. I locked the door back up and placed my own seal over it so he can't get free again even if something were to happen to those locks. So long as I'm with you that seal won't come down."

"And you didn't look inside." Yugi reiterrated.

"No. I respect your privacy Yugi. Whatever is inside there I trust you would tell me if you wanted me to know."

"Yet you get mad at me for keeping it to myself despite the fact that we've talked about this before and you said it was fine."

"...Yes…. I'm sorry I'm not actually mad at you for keeping things private from me, I don't even know why I snapped at you like that. I swear I never wanted to overstep or hurt you. I care for you too much Yugi. I swear I never meant to hurt you. I'm so sorry. I know your angry with me, I never should have taken my frustration and pain out on you and I never should have snapped at you for keeping your privacy."

Yugi turned to him slowly, his anger melting to that of sadness.

"I'm not angry with you Atem. I'm embarrassed." Yugi sighed.

"Embarrassed?" Atem asked.

"Come with me." Yugi said quietly. He lead him away from the door and to another, plain looking wooden door. He didn't remember seeing this here the last time he was here but Yugi held the handle, breathing deeply to calm his nerves. He was hesitating… whatever was behind this door made him almost overwhelmingly nervous.

"You don't have to do whatever you're about to do Yugi." Atem told him.

"You have to see this." Yugi said, opening the door. "I'm not going in… I've already been here… this is what he was referring to. One of the many memories locked within that door but the biggest one I don't want to revisit. This is what I can't tell you." Yugi said and walked away so he could enter the room on his own.

Atem almost wanted to cry… he didn't know if he wanted to see this or not but he'd already gone through this much effort to show him… if he wanted to understand Yugi more then he needed to be able to see and experience what he's been through if he wanted to be able to stand with him.


	19. 19

Yugi waited by the vault door, leaning against the wall beside it so as to not aggravate the millenium seal. He waited for Atem to return, feeling as if he'd been skinned alive. He couldn't believe his demon had gotten out. He thought he had sealed him away for good. He agreed with Atem's surmission that when he died the locks must have broken… that was the only logical explanation. He was surprised his demon was messing around within his dreams, using his most recent fears of death and lonliness against him but he hated that he messed with Atem, got inside his head and planted these seeds of doubt within him. He understood why Atem felt so slighted now. He trusted him with his life and he knew Atem knew this, so the fact that Atem had known for days and Yugi wouldn't tell him the truth, he understood why despite his respect for him that it hurt.

Atem finally returned, seemingly paler than before and lost within himself. He was shaken, perhaps in shock… he understood why.

"Thats the truth." Yugi said.

Without warning Atem pulled him into a tight hug, holding him closely and nuzzling into his hair, breathing in his scent and grabbing him almost too tightly.

"I'm so sorry." Atem cried. "I know this isn't my fault but I'm still so sorry. I wish I could have been there to stop you, to make you feel less lonely. I'm so relieved you're still here."

"... I won't be for much longer if you don't let go." Yugi joked weakly. Atem immediately let him go, petting him down and checking his face to make sure he was okay. He found such kindness and sympathy in his eyes that made his heart melt. His thumb rubbed his cheek as his fingers curled around his hair and for the longest moment they were lost within one another.

Yugi went to touch his hand when his gaze went to his wrist and slowly and gently he took his arm to brush his fingers against the scar up his arm.

"I was weak. I almost failed the test. It was close… too close. If I hadn't have knocked over the glass and if Grandpa hadn't been near enough to hear it then perhaps you and I would have been together sooner… my demon is strong in the way that he's honest. He's the embodiment of ugly truth… he isn't wrong when he said that I wanted more than anything to be with you, that I wanted to run away because I was weak and felt like nothing without you. He wasn't wrong."

"Yugi."

"Listen. I survived that night because of grandpa and my friends. They took me to hospital and when I recovered and came home I locked myself in my room again… I needed more time to come to terms with whats happened. Thats when they dragged me out, when they made me see what I was doing. Thats the night I took off and came back admitting I needed help. Thats when I took what I was, a shell, a blank slate of nothing and I built myself up. I became something. I'm not nothing anymore. I am someone that you can be proud of, someone I can be proud of and someone he has little power over anymore. He can use my fears, he can twist my mind, he can get inside my head and mess things up but he cannot deny who I am anymore."

Atem looked at him as if seeing him for the first time again, with such awe and wonder that Yugi couldn't help but smile. He wiped the tears from his cheeks and and giggled softly.

"I'm sorry he got to you. I never wanted you to see the darkest part of me. I never wanted you to be a victim of his cruelty. If I had known that he was free I would have chained him backup myself, kicking and screaming, before he could mess with you. I'm so sorry I let this happen."

Atem smiled softly, leaning into his hand affectionately.

"I'm sorry I pushed you so far. Thank you for letting me in. I know you trust me… I don't know why it bothered me so much that I couldn't know the extent even though I knew deep down I probably didn't need to see it."

"He planted seeds of doubt in you. This wasn't your doing. I trust you Atem and I know you know that." Yugi said sweetly.

"I love you Yugi." Atem whispered before he blinked and stepped away from him in fear of what he'd just said. Yugi only smiled though, seemingly unphased by his words which confused him. Why wasn't he surprised… why wasn't he mad or uncomfortable?

"I love you too Atem." He said kindly, smiling warmly.

Atem mind was racing, his heart plummeted as he played the words over and over and over again. Was he dreaming? Was he somehow in his room again? Was this real? "Whats that look for?" Yugi laughed.

No… it wasn't real… he meant it as friends. As if he loved any one of them; Joey, Tea, Tristan… he loved him as a friend.. And thats how he interpreted it when he said it to him. Thats why he wasn't surprised. Of course.

"No reason. I'm just … still a bit shaken." Atem said.

"Thats it? Did we not just go over this whole honesty thing?" Yugi asked him. He closed the distance he'd made and took his hand firmly in his.

"While we're being honest… why don't you follow me?" Yugi said and dragged him away out of his room and into Atem's. They were met with the large Palace hall in all it's golden glory.

"Why are we here?" Atem asked him nervously. What could possibly be in his soul room that Yugi wanted to show him?

Yugi didn't waste time searching for a room, he merely willed the door before him… the door Atem knew too well. He had made this room… but how did Yugi know of it? He hadn't shown him this room and he was so careful with it since he made it.

"I'm very sorry for intruding… I honestly didn't mean to. I respected your privacy immediately and closed it for you but you had left it open… I didn't see much but I saw enough…" Yugi explained.

"You…"

"I was working when I felt you getting worked up… adrenaline, heat, anxiety… I thought perhaps you were having a nightmare so I came to check on you… but you were…. You were just fine. So I closed the door to give you your privacy and left."

Atem was blushing deeply… he didn't know when Yugi found out about this room but he had been careless… at some point he had left the door open and he was told that Yugi would still feel his emotions if they were strong enough with the door open… when did he …

He remembered the clicking sound he heard the first time… that was just after he checked on him the night before … he saw what he was doing with him and had known about it all day…

Yugi opened the door for him and inside was darkness… pitch black nothingness…

"Looks like a good place to hide." Yugi joked. "I suppose it manifests whatever you want it to. Right now I'd say you want a place to hide right?"

"Yugi… I can explain…"

"You don't have to. I'm telling you I saw you with someone having time to yourself because I'm confused as to why it was my room you chose to … do that .. in. I mean of all places… whoever you were with.. In my room? Hardly the most sensual room you could think of." Yugi laughed.

"Whoever… I was with?" Atem asked. Did he not know it was a fake version of him?!

"Yeah… I don't want to pry. This isn't going to play on my mind… but I just wanted you to know that if you want time to yourself… then it's a good idea to maybe lock either this door or your soul room door so I don't rush in and see that. This is your privacy too you know."

"Do you know who I was with or not?" Atem asked quickly.

"No I just saw legs… and it was dark… I didn't stay long enough to see much more than your back and legs wrapped around you."

Atem sighed in relief, patting his chest down to try and calm his heart.

"Right… I'm sorry Yugi. I thought I had kept it closed…"

The darkness of the room shifted then to lighten up and he saw Yugi's bedroom again.

"Oh…" Yugi said in surprise at the sudden shift of the scenery. "That reacts quickly.. But why is it my room again?"

"This is his true desire… he may not want it, but his heart does. His heart wants you to know but he fears how you will react." Another Yugi said from a darker corner of the room… one that shouldn't be dark at all.

"Is that … me?" Yugi asked.

"Go away." Atem ordered the fake Yugi. The fake Yugi flashed a grin but left all the same, leaving the real Yugi and Atem to stand in awkward silence.

"I can explain… I just… I don't want to ruin anything."

"I'm listening." Yugi said to him, though something about his smirk made him feel as if he were walking into a trap.

"What that version of you said was true. This room is directly affected by my deepest desires even if I'm not yet aware of what they are or even if I want it to be so. That this room has taken the shape of your bedroom means to me that that is where I want to be."

"Okay. So what do you want me to know?"

Behind Yugi on the bed became an image of Atem and Yugi entwined together under the sheets. For the moment Yugi hadn't noticed this but Atem's tension and his deepening blush suggested he should look, thats when Atem moved quickly to grab his chin and face him towards him so he couldn't see.

"I'm not sure I'm ready for you to see that."

"I've already seen it Atem… who is it?" Yugi asked cheekily. Yugi blushed then and his eyes flashed something mischievous which terrified him … why was this day so cruel? He wished he could hide more than anything now.

In an instant his room became dark again so it was just he and Yugi… he could barely even see Yugi before him…. But he felt safer now at least.

"That was fast… I assume… the darkness means you want to hide." Yugi said more to himself than anything. "That still works for me."

As he couldn't see Yugi he felt safer, stronger… until he felt Yugi come closer to him, raise his hand to his neck and up his cheek and his breathing on his lips. His cheeks were on fire with how close he was to him and his body was stiffening in every area and in every way. His breath caught… his heart waited and his mind was racing so fast he almost felt a headache coming on.

"I think I've tortured you enough. I already know how you feel." Yugi whispered to him moments before closing the distance between their lips.

His lungs took in more air than he thought they could handle and he held it as Yugi pressed his lips passionately against his own while his hands gripped the back of his head to keep him close.

He didn't know what to do… does he grab him, does he kiss him back, does he let himself free to do as he wanted or does he stand here while Yugi took control? Would it be okay to touch him? He didn't know what to do… all he knew was this was not part of his imagination… this Yugi here was the real Yugi and had been this entire time which meant the real Yugi was kissing him and he had no idea why.

As the kiss went on Yugi tried to coax him into relaxing, licking his lips playfully to get him to budge and pressing his chest against his but still Atem was rigid. Biting his lip playfully he raised his leg to slide against the inside of his thigh until he reached his crotch and thats what shook him into reacting. Atem grabbed him forcefully, either side of his head and deepened the kiss with such lust and desire it was incredible. He allowed Yugi entry into his mouth as his hands explored his back, his waist and pulled his hips against his own. It was thrilling to have unleashed the beast like this and as they continued making out with such passion the room changed again, back to his bedroom yet again where Atem could push him against his desk, knocking books and papers over, shoving aside his lamp to give Yugi room to sit with Atem between his legs.

After a while of making out they mutually needed to stop so they could breathe and give their bodies a moment to cool down. Yugi didn't have to read his partners mind to know that his mind was racing with hundreds of questions he couldn't grasp and to see such confusion was a delight. He himself was quite clear albeit flushed and feverish.

"It feels good …. To be honest with … yourself. Doesn't it?" Yugi asked breathlessly.

"Yeah…" Atem whispered before he realised what he had said. "You…?

Yugi nodded. "I've known since that night I slept in your room with you. As magnificent as you are you lack subtly. Truth be told I wanted to see how far we could go, where we could take it and how it would feel… but I was exhausted and fell asleep before I could even try to make a move… then I was swamped with work… even now I feel fatigue pulling me away but I wanted to tell you that I knew… I wanted to close the distance between us and settle your heart… the truth about my past bothering you aside I knew there was something else playing on you… I didn't know what it was until I saw this room but a chance to bring it up never came up… you kept to yourself since then until now." Yugi explained.

"I was still trying to figure out how I felt but I knew I couldn't avoid you forever. The truth of this room terrified me and I had no idea what I was feeling even after I pushed away from it."

"Pushed away from it?" Yugi asked him, adorably cocking his head to the side.

"What you saw didn't last much longer than that. I avoided this room after that until now."

"So you've not gone that far with me then." Yugi said cheekily, grinning wickedly and nibbling on his bottom lip with hunger in his eyes that made him blush.

"No… this is about as far as I've been…"

"With anyone?" Yugi asked.

"Yugi." Atem laughed.

"What I'm curious." Yugi shrugged.

"... Yes… with anyone."

"Wow. Weird to think there's something I have more experience in."

"You… do?" Atem asked… He seemed almost sad to hear it but a part of him knew. He was in his twenties now… of course he would have.

"I'll tell you about it later. So… you've seen the darkest part of me… and I've seen the … lustiest part of you."

Atem laughed at that. It was good to see him relax again.

"I guess this means no more secrets between us, yeah?" Atem asked him.

Yugis smile fell from him and silence gripped him tightly. Atem could sense it with ease but waited to see if he would say what was on his mind.

"No more secrets… but I do have something I'd like to discuss with you but if you don't mind Id like to wait until after ive delivered these artifacts to the museum and maybe a nap?"

"Okay… can I ask vaguely what it is? Just so I'm not over thinking?"

"It's a proposition. I have an idea but it could be risky and I'm going to need a lot longer than 5 minutes to explain. And im going to need our friends on board as well."

"Okay… I trust you've given whatever it is some thought but I can wait until youve rested."

"Great. Then… I should probably eat something. It's probably been long enough now to start packing the crates too." Yugi said as he pushed himself off the desk.

"Do you mind if i follow you?"

"I never do." Yugi smiled.


	20. 20

Yugi left their minds and immediately felt heavy on his feet, needing the support of his chair to keep from falling over. His chest was tight as his heart struggled to beat comfortably and his stomach churned angrily… He was starving but also feeling the effects of over exertion… his body was aching for sleep… He hated this feeling but this was unavoidable. He would sleep once the artifacts were delivered. Just a few more hours to go.

"Are you okay?" Atem asked him. "Do you need me to take over?"

"No.. it's okay. I'm okay." Yugi told him breathlessly as the world stabilised itself. While being inside their minds his body was a lot lighter and the effects of fatigue was considerably lessened… coming back to reality he could feel how strong gravity seduced him and how much his body was straining to stay awake… but he had to push on.

"Okay.. what do I need to do?" Yugi asked himself before he squinted at his watch to figure out the time.

"Joey or Tea may be able to rent a trailer for me, I can fix em up when they get here. If they can do that then all I need to do is pack the artifacts while they get here."

"And breakfast?" Atem asked.

"Um… I might nibble on something once my stomach's settled a bit." Yugi said.

He was able to get in contact with Joey this morning who agreed to pick up Tristan and rent a trailer for him. Grandpa was already up making tea and last nights curry for breakfast when Yugi came out to see him. He made himself a coffee to keep him going, letting him know what the game plan was for today. Grandpa offered a hand in packing the artifacts and set to it while Yugi took a moment to sip at his drink.

After several minutes though he went to check on him and found he was placing name stickers on the wrapping of each artifact coresponding with the paperwork he'd written up.

"Thats a good idea." Yugi said, impressed. He was embarrassed he hadn't thought of it; it was a good way to keep them all together.

"Thank you. This way they shouldn't get mixed up or lost. Now those are ready to be brought down. I'll finish these ones." Grandpa said, referring to 3 of them in a row on one of Yugi's piles of books.

Once they were all packed up, 6 in each crate and all paperwork together safely in plastic sleeves and original paperwork signed off and included, they set to nailing the crate back closed until Joey and Tristan arrived with their shiny new borrowed trailer.

"J & T delivery service! You pack em we drive em!" Joey called out happily.

"Hey guys." Yugi waved to them as they approached happily.

"Hey dude. Atem buddy! Good ta see ya." Tristan said happily.

Atem blinked in confusion before looking to Yugi for answers.

"I forgot to mention I took a small break yesterday to get Tristan his own crystal. I tried getting your attention but you were… busy." Yugi explained.

Atem blushed slightly in embarrasment and smiled.

"I see. Good morning Tristan. I'm sorry I didn't come out yesterday. I'm glad this is working."

"Me too. So this is what you guys see! Yug this whole time you've been seeing the Pharoah like this for years?"

"Well back in the day yeah. More or less." Yugi shrugged.

"Dude you getting enough sleep?" Joey asked him.

"He's not. He's been awake for 2 days straight getting this work done." Atem dobbed him in quickly, earning himself a look of daggers from his smaller counterpart.

"Damn man, one of those?" Joey said empathetically.

"It's cool. I'll sleep once this is done. Everything's ready, it's just gotta be hoisted on and tied down. How much do I owe you for the trailer?" Yugi asked.

"It was $50 but it's cool dude." Joey said happily.

"No I've got that." Yugi said, waving him off and pushing the money into his chest for him to take.

"Okay… we've got a ramp, does it come with any rope or a harness or something?" Yugi asked.

"Uh it came with one but for those crates you may want another 2." Tristan.

"Alright, we've got those. Tristan do you wanna secure the ramp while we move the crates onto this?" Yugi asked.

Atem and Grandpa stayed out of their work as they moved the crates onto rope and pulled them up gently. Tristan and Joey did most of the heavy lifting while Yugi helped where he could but even they didn't want him helping too much with his injuries still. But they did allow him to tie the crates down and secure them properly. His training as an archaeologist came in handy here; knowing how to tie ropes correctly was more important than one would think.

Atem was impressed with Yugi's leadership skills and knowledge… he didn't have a lot of opportunities to show these skills off since he's been here. He was already impressed with his research abilities and historic intellect, but seeing it in practice was like watching his idol work. Even seeing him help pull the crates up despite his injuries was something he took note of… though for differing reasons; it was rather attractive to see him use his muscles and strength alongside Joey and Tristan. He'd grown into a man before his eyes and it was now he was seeing this.

"Alright… all done?" Joey asked.

Yugi tested the ropes, the clamps and suspensions one last time before hopping off the trailer so they could close the back of it and smiled.

"Yep. Let me get my things and we can go. Do you guys want a drink?" Yugi asked them.

"Nah we good." They waved him off.

"Yugi while you're there, pick me up a program for the exhibit. I'd like to see what you've been working on." Grandpa called to him as he went back inside.

They pulled into the museum staff and delivery entrance where they could reverse in and get assistance unloading the trailer. Joey and Tristan stayed by the car, helping them undo the restraints while Yugi went inside with delivery papers. Atem enjoyed floating around while he did this. He got to see Yugi walk around with confidence and knowledge of exactly what was going on and where. He greeted people he knew and collected papers from who bumped into him. Getting the delivery papers signed meant he got to use his ID card and listening to them refer to him as 'Dr. Moto' was thrilling. Yugi was used to it by now but Atem was so enthralled by it he was simply beaming with pride for him. Yugi had such authority here… he'd sensed his strength and growth at home as well as his confidence but it shined so brightly here. He was a senior archaeologist under the employ of the domino museum… he was practically a supervisor here of well renown.

Once the crates were successfully unloaded and the paperwork had been signed for he told Joey and Tristan to give him a few while he went to go find Mr. Owoi. Yugi explained to Atem that this man was the director of the Museum, his boss, and he needed to find him to personally let him know the artifacts had been delivered and waiting for display.

"Do you mind if you show me your office? While we're here?" Atem asked him shyly.

Yugi couldn't help but smile and blush at the humble request as they rode the elevator.

"Of course. After I see Mr. Owoi." Yugi told him sweetly.

They arrived on the 3rd floor and as Yugi took Atem down several halls they finally came to the directors office.

"Come in?" They heard from inside and Yugi entered. "Ah Dr. Moto. I didn't expect to see you so early."

"The artifacts have been delivered sir, the paperwork is with them safely. They've all been examined and prepped for display and I took the liberty of including some worthwhile information on them too. The hardcopies are with them and the digital copies are here." Yugi said as he placed a USB drive on his desk. "I also included a simulation for a staff headpiece thats worth looking at and incorporating into the exhibit. It's what it would have looked like back in the day had more of it survived. Its actually fascinating how skilled these artisans were. I believe it should boost interest in the era and prove to net in a bit more funding for future findings in the area."

"That so?"

"Sir the mosaic craftsman ship on that orb is unlike anything I've seen come out of that culture from that era. The person who worked on it must have been a master of masters and there's no doubt there would be more created by this man, it's just got to be found. You don't get to that level of skill out of nowhere and only create one thing."

"I'll take a look at it, gladly. You look dreadful Moto, you didn't stay up all night finishing this did you?" Owoi said.

"...I… um… did sir." Yugi said bashfully. He tsked but nodded all the same.

"Go home Moto. Get some sleep. You did exceedingly well. I'm very pleased. I see a nice bonus in the near future and I'm sure Handson is thanking you too. Well done." Owoi said kindly.

"Thank you sir. Have a good day." Yugi bowed his head respectfully and left, closing the door gently behind him.

"He's nice." Atem said in approval.

"He's a great director. A good man. I thought you'd like him." Yugi told him.

They went down to the bottom floor but instead of turning to the left to get to the loading dock they took a right and then another until they came to a room in the middle of a corridor with his name on a bronze plaque.

"This is your office?" Atem asked.

"Yep. I've been given a different one upstairs but I have this one set up the way I like it so I've stayed here." Yugi said as he used his keycard to unlock the door.

Turning the lights on Atem was greeted by 'organised chaos' as Yugi put it. Towers of boxes and books lined the walls, posters and charts, maps hung around, covering the blank spaces of the walls. Bookcases collecting dust were filled with textbooks, journals, scrolls and ornaments. His desk was clean but there was already a small stack of papers which Yugi collected up. Piles of books made a small obstacle course between the desk and the door and various statues and pillars decorated the place as well; one was used as a coat stand though. There were so many things to look at in here it was more like a storage room than an office; a place one puts things that don't have a place to belong… but Yugi seemed to know where everything was. There were no windows, just a ceiling fan and air vent, though neither were on and the place had become musty and dusty and the air had grown stale… still… this was his office.

"You work here?"

"More than the study at home. It's not usually this stale though but it has been a week since I occupied this space for more than 5 minutes… You're probably going to be seeing a lot more of this room soon."

"I am?"

"Well if we go through with my idea then yes I'm going to need to dig up a few things."

"I see. How do you know where everything is?"

"It's organised in it's own way. If I moved office like Owoi suggested I'd have no idea where anything would be… though it would be bigger… Perhaps I'll think about it some more. Gramps would appreciate me taking some of the stuff I have at home and bringing it here." Yugi shrugged.

Atem giggled… for how organised and independent and mature he had become this room represented the boy he was at heart. He loved him so much.

"Seen enough?" Yugi asked.

"Yes I think so. Thank you for showing me this. I'd like to be able to clean this up for you but if you see order in this then I'm very happy for you. I enjoy seeing this aspect of your life."

"Is that a polite way of saying I'm messy?" Yugi giggled.

"Perhaps… but isn't it "organised chaos'?" Atem asked playfully.

"Yes. and dont you forget that."

Finally finished Yugi rested in the back seat of the car while Joey dropped off the trailer and Tristan off to work. He'd fallen asleep very quickly and by the time Joey was nudging him awake they'd already arrived back at the Game shop.

He thanked him again for all his help and after being pushed inside agreed to trudge upstairs to flop onto his bed. He barely had his clothes off when he felt sleep dragging him away.

As Yugi slept peacefully and solidly Atem drifted off into his mind confirming for himself that the door to his demon was still locked while he slept. He left in a hurry as well, not liking the cold that came from within, oozing out like some malicious aura. He knew Yugi was strong for chaining him up and the way he talked about him suggested that Yugi was confident he'd be able to do it again… but he felt how much strength his demon was hiding and he had seen how convincing he could be … the sight of Yugi at such a critical state back then sent ice throughout his body … he hoped that as long as his demon remained chained up he would never see that side of Yugi… ever.

Moving onto happier topics he visited the room he had created. It no longer had Yugi inside it; he didn't need a fake Yugi to keep him company anymore, but it did still take on the shape of his bedroom. He knew why… Yugi slept soundly in his bed and more than anything right now all he wished was to be beside him… but even if he remained in his presence it wasn't enough right now… he wanted to be with him, to feel his body breathing beside him and the warmth of his skin.

Sighing he left the room again. He'd have to wait until Yugi visited him in his room again before he could touch the boy. Though the thought of that a blush crept upon him as he remembered Yugi's lips on his own and the way he moved his body against his. Immediately he could feel his spectral body reacting and he double checked the door to his soul room was closed… the last thing he wanted was to wake Yugi from his slumber because he couldn't control his urges. He wondered if he should explore his fantasies while he slept but thought to cool off instead… it'd be more fun with him here to inflame his desires and experience it with him… if he wished that was. He still didn't know what to make of their relationship. Yugi had kissed him and he told him he had known of how he felt for a while and yet it didn't seem to bother him. They promised to one another they'd keep no more secrets but almost as quickly as their confessions came Yugi was whisked away with responsibilities… he could only hope that once he had slept he'd be able to spend some time with him… until then Atem would need to be patient.


	21. 21

Hours turned into the entire day as Yugi slept well into the night, unbothered by dreams of any kind. It was relaxing that he had slept so soundly but several times Atem had wondered out, sat beside him, layed beside him, pretended to pet his hair or gaze at the many books he had lying around, restricted only by his spectral form or he would have read them.

It was well past dinner when Yugi finally stirred awake and Atem had been resting against the bed, allowing himself to completely relax. He woke properly when he felt Yugi moving and stretching and stood, hopeful this would be him waking up and not just getting comfortable.

When Yugi spied him he smiled and waved.

"Hey." Atem said to him softly. His heart was so happy he was waking up it was all he could do to contain his excitement. He felt like a puppy about to go for a walk but he needed to play it cool or it might not happen.

"Hey." Yugi yawned, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "What time is it?"

"Almost 10. You've slept all day." Atem said, shrugging cooly.

"Oh really? Damn. I'm sorry." Yugi said as he lifted himself up to rest his elbows on his knees.

"It's fine. You needed your rest. How are you feeling?" Atem asked, sitting next to him and leaning back on his hands.

"I'm still waking up but much better than before. I'm starving." Yugi giggled.

"I believe grandpa may have saved some for you."

"Good. How have you been all day?"

"I've been here and there. Keeping myself busy." Atem shrugged. "I'm happy you're awake though."

Yugi smiled and headed downstairs.

He found grandpa watching TV and he looked very happy to see him finally up and about.

"Yugi! How did you sleep?"

"Solidly… did you make enough for two?"

"I did, in the microwave Yugi." Grandpa said pleasantly.

After dinner which Yugi thoroughly enjoyed, he caught up with grandpa on the days events before he went off to bed himself and Yugi decided to shower.

Atem hovered nearby though he faced away to give him some privacy, not that he hadn't seen him nude before; spending all those years with him it was pretty impossible to have not seen Yugi's body before, but he was respectful to him even now.

After he was finished washing himself though he grinned to himself. If Atem could make a room within his subconscious that reacted to his hearts desire then perhaps he could do the same. Now that he was fed, cleaned and well rested with much less weight on his shoulders he was feeling frisky and the sight of Atem's face when he realises what he was doing would be worth it.

Very subtly he pulled them into his own mind into a room he created that mimicked the bathroom. Atem hadn't even noticed the change at first until he started feeling the mist from the shower and he looked around him curiously.

Yugi giggled and when he did Atem looked to him in confusion.

"Why don't you join me?" Yugi asked, blushing wildly.

"J-join you?"

"We're in my mind right now. Don't you want to feel something on your skin?" Yugi winked.

Atem immediately went rigid, his face turning beet red and Yugi had to giggle more. It was adorable to see his normally so strong and collected partner so uncharacteristically outside his comfort zone.

Biting his bottom lip he opened the shower door and approached him, locking his eyes with his own he slowly undressed him.

"You're okay with this right?"

Atem blinked and the corners of his lips pulled to a small smirk.

"Y-yes… I'm still just taken by surprise that you're okay with this." Atem said as he lifted his tunic over his head.

"I'm a bit more experienced in keeping my urges in check thats all. Doesn't mean they're not there." Yugi winked, running his hands down his chest to linger on his hips.

"It's also strange to see in such control… it's very attractive though."

"Really?" Yugi grinned wickedly before biting his bottom lip seductively.

Skillfully Yugi slipped Atem's skirt down his legs, freeing his body from the last piece of fabric. All that was left on him was his golden jewellery but that was fine to get wet. Taking his hands he walked him back into the shower, allowing the heat of the water to run rivers down his bronzed, muscled body. His skin was so soft and the veins and muscles in his arms were firm, shaped and strong… his chest and stomach were alot more toned than Yugi had remembered seeing him last but then… he always used to take on Yugi's shape before and even he had grown since Atem last shared his body.

As the water ran through their hair, dropping down their necks and down chests they felt themselves getting hotter, just from looking upon one another. Yugi's hands rubbed up Atem's arms slowly, feeling his muscles tense as his own hands grabbed Yugi's waist.

Atem licked his lips as he gazed at Yugi's, hungrily wanting to make a move but unsure if he should… they were already so close together and the longer Yugi made him wait the deeper his blush became.

Yugi teased him, touching his nose to his and brushing his lips ever so close to his. He felt his chest heave from the excitement and his grip on his hips tighten each time he did this until finally Yugi's hands slid into Atem's hair, grabbing the back of his head and he pushed his lips firmly upon his. Atem moaned briefly, pulling Yugi's body into his as he deepened the kiss immediately, opening his mouth with his tongue and inviting himself in. Their chests and abs pressed and rubbed against one another, their hardening members brushing up and down as Yugi gyrated his hips towards him. Once he felt that Atem forcefully pushed him against the tiles of the shower wall, lifting his legs up around him and pushing his pelvis hard against Yugi's. This was the predator he wanted to unleash, the beast Atem kept chained down almost 90% of the time. He loved when he let himself out to play and releasing his lust like this was a thrill unlike any Yugi had experienced.

Atem kissed him passionately, exploring his mouth and dancing with his tongue as his hands grasped and squeezed his ass and thighs, pressing the small of his back closer to him so their cocks could grind against one another.

Yugis hand gripped at his hair, pulling slightly and scratching up his back as Atem began to bite his jaw and his neck. When Yugi pulled on his hair though Atem would moan, stopping briefly to relish in the sensation before nipping at his skin again.

"I didn't know you could be so rough." Yugi breathed.

Atem withdrew just enough, kissing where he had been biting.

"Is it too much?" Atem asked him.

Yugi giggled, pulling on his hair again. In the moment he used his strength to turn him around, pushing Atem this time up against the wall, pulling his hair even more to expose his neck. Hungrily he sucked on his skin while Atem was temporarily incapacitated and as he moaned Yugis hand slid down his abdomen to tease rock hard member pushing against his own. As soon as his fingers brushed against his head Atem shivered and Yugi couldn't help but smile. Everything he did to him made him quiver, react in such a delicious way and made his sensations run wild within him. Yugi could feel his emotions running high and react to him on such a powerful and spiritual level he could only assume was because they were connected in such a way, but it only enhanced everything they did to one another.

As he stroked his cock alongside his own he could feel Atem losing control. His breathing, his heart rate, his soft moaning was evidence enough but the way he bit down on his shoulder and gripped his hair as well, the hardening of his cock. The heat of his emotions and quickness of his adrenaline was empowering and he could feel it though his motions that he was close.

"Y-yugi…" Atem whispered with a shaky voice. He was so close now.

"Yes? My King?" Yugi purred cheekily in his ear.

Immediately Atem shuddered, biting down hard as he released over them both.

Once he'd calmed down he let go of Yugi, kissing where he'd bit into him and trying to catch his breath.

Yugi smiled, biting his lip as he moved to kiss passionately, catching his lips with his own as he allowed the water to clean them both off.

Atem's hands went to the back of his head, grasping his cheeks in both hands. He tasted Yugi, breathing him in, grateful for what Yugi had done for him. Yugi giggled as he took control of him, pushing him slightly to catch his own breath.

"You are so cute." Yugi laughed.

"What?" Atem giggled.

"My King?" Yugi whispered in his ear.

Atem melted, purring as the words rolled off his tongue.

"I never would have guessed you'd melt so easily." Yugi sang.

"Likewise I never would have guessed you were the dominant type."

"I just enjoy watching you buckle beneath me. Aren't you supposed to be the King?" Yugi asked.

Atem smirked cockily and in an instant Atem had skillfully overpowered him, switching places with him and pushing his chest against the tiles while pulling his ass towards him, his semi pushing against his cheeks as he pulled his hair to lift his chin. His free hand wrapped around him, reaching around to stroke his cock as he pinned him helplessly against the tiles.

Yugi moaned, panting as he stroked him and gripped his hair tightly. Atem pushed gyrated his hips into him, teasing him with his cock as he took control.

"You were saying?" Atem growled in his ear.

"Thats more like it. Kings are meant to take what they want… is this all you want from me?" Yugi was mocking him, daring him to keep going, challenging his authority with his cheek… and it was working.

Applying more force to him he bent him downward more, pushing his cock between his cheeks as he milked him.

It hurt at first but as Yugi told himself they were in his mind right now he relaxed and soon Atem was inside him, thrusting slowly and stroking him in pace. Yugi moaned with each push, breathing hard as the ecstasy quickly built within him.

"This is what you get for challenging me Yugi. Now will you continue to mock me? Who is your king Yugi?" Atem growled, increasing the power of his thrusts as he talked.

Yugi moaned loudly as he pushed deeper in and quickened his pace. He felt his knees begin to buckle and his back was arching back into him. Atem's hand that had been gripping his hair moved to cup his neck as he leaned in to bite his shoulders and neck, thrusting deeper and deeper, faster and faster.

Yugi raised his arms, trying to grasp at anything he could but finding nothing but tiles so he clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white. He couldn't take much more of this; the pleasure was so intense but he didn't want him to stop. If anything he wanted him to keep going, to increase the pace and really take him. He wanted to tease him, to coax him into being more rough with him but his mind was going blank… he could barely think at all… he just hoped that he could sense his feelings and react, read his mind somewhat.

"Who is your king Yugi?" Atem repeated the question.

"Y-you… are…" Yugi stammered breathlessly between panting and moaning. Atem quickened as silently requested, tightening his grasp around his neck and stroking his cock with more skill, letting his head roll in his fingers and his fingers squeeze at the base. The technique he used was expert done. Yugi's mind was a buzz with ecstasy and in moments he felt himself reaching his own climax.

"My… King… I…" Yugi panted.

"Yes?" Atem whispered, increasing the power behind his thrusts.

"I … can't… I'm gonna…"

"Do it Yugi. Cum for your King. By my command." Atem ordered him.

Immediately he came, coating Atem's hand with himself and as he did so he felt Atem's own cock pulsing within him as his thrusts changed, becoming sharp and tense as he came inside him.

Sliding himself outside of him gently he lifted Yugi back up, spinning him around affectionately and taking his chin in his fingers, lifting him up to kiss him deeply.

Yugi melted in his arms, feeling unusually submissive now compared to his formerly dominating self. His mind was still buzzing with white noise, his body tingling all over and shaking with euphoria and adrenaline.

As Atem kissed him deeply Yugi momentarily took them out of his mind so he could turn off the real shower and slid down the showerwall to sit, catching his breath as his body shook. He took them back into his mind again, in the same position and place so they could continue as they were. Atem kissed his cheeks, his forehead, his nose and nuzzled his neck affectionately as Yugi caught his breath and cooled down.

"Is that more expected of a King?" Atem asked cheekily.

"Yes… most becoming." Yugi joked. Atem laughed, petting his soaking wet hair from his face.

"I love you Yugi." Atem said to him softly, cupping his cheeks.

Yugi gazed up to him, his light lavender eyes meeting the deepest violet, softened with love and warmth and comfort. He was lost in those eyes, like deep galaxies of mesmerising purples and reds.

"I love you too… my King." Yugi emphasised, grinning wickedly yet tiredly.

Atem smiled, leaning in to kiss him deeply.

"You should probably dry yourself and change before you catch a cold." Atem whispered to him.

"Alternatively I could climb into bed and snuggle with you. Clothes optional." Yugi winked.

Atem giggled and helped him stand.


	22. 22

Yugi brought them back out to the real world and Atem was now spectral again… it was amazing how quickly he missed the touch of his body and how easily he could stay within his mind so long as he could be with him.

Yugi sighed inwardly, pushing the thoughts from his mind… now wasn't the time to get sad that he couldn't, but to be happy that they were so close. He dried himself down, careful to pat down the water on his ribs. His physical body was a lot more sore than his minds version of him… he hadn't even realised that during all of that he wasn't in any pain at all… now that he was in real life the aching in his ribs restricted him somewhat.

Atem floated behind him, watching him in the mirror with love and concern as he watched his partner pat down the deep bruise spanning wider than his hand now. The bruise had expanded beyond the bandage he had been keeping on but it was starting to yellow now, except in the middle where it was still black and purple. The stitches from the surgery were practically closed now, it was mostly just the massive bruise now… it looked so painful and Atem was glad he didn't hurt him while he was being forceful with him.

"Does it hurt?" Atem asked.

"A bit… I'd forgotten about it until now to be honest." Yugi said quietly. "I wish we could stay within our minds where there's no pain and just us."

"Me too… feeling you touch and your heartbeat, your breath against my skin… just feeling you with me is a sensation I can't get enough of. I'd give anything to be able to hold you outside of your mind." Atem said against him, hugging him deeply despite not actually touching him.

Yugi's heart pulled… he wanted that too…

"It… might not be so farfetched an idea." Yugi said quietly.

Atem pulled away from him and Yugi turned to face him, leaning against the vanity with a towel around his waist.

"I might have a way to give you your body back." Yugi finished.

Atems eyes widened and he blinked, as if registering what he'd heard… trying to figure out if he'd misheard him.

"I'm sorry… you said what?"

"My research has lead me to believe that there's a way to revitalise a deceased body so long as every condition is met and all components are accounted for. I believe I have everything I need now … I just need you on board with it."

"Is this what you were referring to earlier?"

"Yes."

Atem was silent… thinking… he had a lot to explain but for now he was just comprehending the idea of having his body back.

"How?"

"I need the Millenium Items."

"You're talking what Pegasus tried to do right?"

"Yes but Pegasus never would have succeeded. He didn't know what I do and I've been working on this for years. Not specifically this but it's a great deal part of my expertise."

"Tell me the details."

Yugi nodded and grabbed a dry towel to drape over his shoulders, leaving the bathroom to grab a journal from his study before retiring to his bedroom where he made himself comfortable in bed. Atem sat cross legged on his bed too, facing him and waiting.

"In the event that Pegasus obtained all Millenium Items he would have only succeeded in bringing back a shell of a human, it might not even have been Cecilia and regardless it would have only lived for about 3 days before expiring. This is primarily why bringing people back from the dead with the Millenium Items is impossible.

Unless you know what I do. I've spent the last 3 years researching the those items since retrieving them. There's no one alive today that knows them better than I do, present company excluded but even then… no offence… but I believe I know a great deal more than even you do…" Yugi said bashfully.

Atem grinned at his confidence but continued to listen.

"The power of the Items is enough to bring back the dead but without the right spell, the right components and all of the tools necessary they cannot sustain those who have been brought back.

In order to successfully bring someone back from the dead you need the body of the deceased, the right spell…" Yugi waved his journal in the air, hinting what he needed was within its pages. "All Millenium Items, someone who can read Ancient Egyptian and the caster must make a decent blood sacrifice."

"Blood sacrifice?"

"Not the whole lot just like a cut of the hand for example. Enough to put a coat or so on each of the items." Yugi shrugged.

"Well by my reckoning you have the items… which means you would need my body, that spell in that book I assume and someone who can read ancient egyptian."

"All of which I have. Your body is currently in the museum waiting to go on show in 2 weeks. The Nameless King exhibit will be live soon and for 4 weeks will continue to be on show until it's moved to L.A for it's American tour. Which means I have until it's shipped to L.A to go through with this. Of course I'd prefer to do it before or after the show as your sarcophagus will be open for viewing, which means if I'm to do this before the end of the show I will need to replace the body with a convincing fake."

"That… seems unlikely?"

"I have some favours I can pull to make that happen." Yugi shrugged.

"Whats the catch?"

"This has never been performed before and as such I'm working with information 3000 years old and older which means I cannot completely account for it legitimacy. There are risks, most of which are minor or have contingencies."

"It sounds as if you've had everything you need to do this since before I came here so if I might ask… why now? You could have easily found someone to read Ancient Egyptian without me."

"I can read Ancient Eygptian, thats not why I need you." Yugi said much to Atem's surprise. "Even if I did all of this before you were attached to my soul, I could have revitalised your body but without your soul in this plane of existence I couldn't have brought you back. You were in the afterlife and except under rare circumstances nothing can penetrate that.

Which is why even if Pegasus had everything I have he still would never have been able to bring back Cecilia… because he didn't have her soul. Furthermore even if I could bring your soul from the afterlife I wouldn't have done it. At the time I believed you wanted your rest… even if it meant seeing you again I wouldn't have taken that from you."

"I see… so now that you have all physical components and me here… now you can?"

"Yes. Only now that you are here. Like I said I have everything I need. I've had access to it for years… I just never had you. But now you're here… I can do this. If you want to."

"Of course I do but Yugi I'm still not sure what these risks are. Something like this… the Items are powerful. I know you know this more than anyone but bringing someone back mustn't be as simple as you claim it to be."

"It's not. It's going to be very taxing. Your body is essentially going to be brought back to the state it was in days before it stopped living. Your body is going to be tired and slightly malnourished. You yourself once inside and attached to your body is likely going to be exhausted and unconscious for a day or 3 while you adjust. It's going to be a very weird experience for you but one you'll cope with. As for me it's going to feel as it did when you left the first time.. Nothing I can't handle."

"Thats it?" Atem asked in a tone that made it obvious he knew there was more to it than that.

"...Not… entirely. Thats best case scenario - if it actually works. If it doesn't the spell will simply missfire causing your body to either not be touched or reject you. If you're rejected you'll simply stay within me like you are now. No harm, no foul. I go back to the drawing board to figure out what went wrong. Though we may miss our chance to do it conveniently for a while. In either of those scenarios there's no real risk to either of us.

Then there's scenario 3; in the event that the spell or anything involved, like your body for example, is interrupted during then there could be pretty serious danger to both of us depending on when the interruption occurs. To combat this though we can have our friends ensure our safety. We just need 10 minutes of privacy. If they can keep us safe for 10 minutes we'll be fine."

"What will happen if something like that happens?"

"Worst case scenario both of us could die."

Atem grimaced at that, weighing the options in his head. Yugi didn't care for that outcome either but the risk was small and the gain could be well worth it. He believed he could do this. He couldn't account for the unknown but what he does know is convincing… he just hoped Atem saw it that way too.

"The success chance of this is about 90%. I don't want the worst case scenario to happen either but I trust our friends and if my planning comes through then I highly doubt we have anything to worry about."

"I don't want you risking your life for this Yugi. If we can stay together like this then that will be enough for me if means you get to keep living."

"I know.. But Atem you could breathe air again, you could feel the sun on your own skin, you could touch our friends with your own hands… even share a bed with me outside of our minds… Atem you could have a life again, and not one borrowed. The worst case scenario is at 2%, 8% of that goes to a missfire in which case you still get to stay with me. I can do this. I know I can do this." Yugi pleaded with him.

"I trust you Yugi but the variables, the precise planning.. If anything goes wrong that you can't account for -"

"Is it not worth the risk? I have connections I can make use of, strings I can pull, favors to call in to ensure this goes smoothly. 10 minutes and you could have your body back." Yugi said convincingly.

Atem thought about it… Yugi understood his apprehension; the risk of losing their lives was small but if it did go wrong then they do in fact lose everything… and the fear of going through with something so permanent came with its own anxiety. Bringing a body back to life was not going to be easy and he was getting comfortable within Yugi's mind… Yugi had to admit he enjoyed being able to feel his presence and have him all to himself on a much deeper level than sharing his company… but more than that he wanted to share his life with him, outside of their minds and in the real world. Atem wanted that too… ever since he came back he's been wishing he could touch and eat and spend time with everyone without bothering Yugi.

The look in Yugi's eyes were convincing and he seemed exceedingly confident. There'd be a lot of planning involved to make sure they don't get caught… could he do this? What if this risked his job?

"You don't have to answer straight away. I intend to go through this with everyone else tomorrow. Ultimately I need you on board, or there's no point in going ahead with it. That said, if you're not comfortable with this then I won't pressure you. Just… please know that I have gone through the scenarios and I've already planned out what I would need to do to maximise our success rate; otherwise it wouldn't be sitting at 90%. I can do this and I'm positive your body won't reject you." Yugi said. Atem sighed, taking in every word his partner said.

"Even if my body did reject me it wouldn't be so bad. This is a big decision Yugi. You've already done more for me than any one person could ever ask for. You don't have to do this."

"I'd be lying if I said this is just for you, you know." Yugi shrugged. Atem blushed and smiled, his heart fluttering from the implication that Yugi wanted this as much as he did.

"Say I agree. What would you need to do?" Atem asked.

"Assuming we all come to an agreement? Our friends included? Then I'd need to call in a few favors and pick the best date. The exhibit goes on show the weekend after next. It remains on show for four weeks before it leaves Japan for America. I'd prefer to do it before the show starts or before it leaves Japan but not during the exhibit for… obvious reasons. Picking a date and calling in that favor for that specific date is crucial… if I can get those two aligned everything else is easy."

"Whats this favor?"

"Pegasus owes me for providing him useful material for his business. I think I can sweeten the deal if I offer to owe him a favor in return… I'll see what I can do when I talk to him. Regardless, he's rich and powerful enough to help me replace your body with a very believable fake. I can make up some excuse saying the real body is kept in a secure location for it's preservation...I'll just need to square that up with Owoi. As I'm in charge of the exhibit it wouldn't be awry for me to make that decision. I mean we aren't displaying the real items either."

"You won't be?"

"And have them get stolen and misused? I don't trust anyone with them, that's why only myself and 3 others know where they are."

Atem gave him a worried look which suggested he had something to say but was trying to silence it himself. He knew what it was though…

"I trust you and our loved ones it's just I don't trust other people not to endanger them for the information. Thats why I've kept it to such a small group."

That seemed to satisfy him as the worry left him immediately.

"Assuming I can get replace your body with the fake before the show starts then all I need is to take the real items out of storage, secure private 'examination' time with your body and have everyone stand guard. I could involve Owoi in this but given the nature of this it's probably best I don't make it too common knowledge that I know how to bring back 3000 year old pharoahs…" Yugi said, more to himself though. He was deep in thought about all of this and as he talked himself through his plans Atem just watched in amusement, intrigue and awe … he was so proud of his little counterpart…. He wasn't so little anymore though.

"I don't think I will involve him… if this goes well we can get in and out without anyone even noticing. We'll need spare clothes for you though… walking around with a heavily bandaged pharoah will get us some form of attention. The camera's will need to be put on a loop too for at least half an hour. I can probably call Bec and owe her one for this."

"I thought you said you had a plan." Atem said smugly in amusement.

"I do. This is external application. The actual ritual I know without fail. For that I need your body which should be being prepped for flight to arrive from Cairo on Monday. It will be in the museum for a week before it goes on show, giving me time to examine it in my own time. Thats our biggest opportunity and safest bet. Your body along with your canopic jars will be available from monday. After that I need to get the items out: easy. I have the book with the spell here." Yugi gestured towards the journal again. "I can read and speak ancient egyptian so no need for a translator, I have your soul attached to me which is the biggest key in this whole thing and I'm pretty sure my bloods still warm… assuming we don't get killed before then, then we're good to go." Yugi said, awefully pleased with himself.

"You make it sound so easy."

"I'd be lying if I said this will be a walk in the park… getting everything together is no problem. Accounting for the energy it will take to revitalise your body and then push your soul into it is something I can only adjust to on the spot. This isn't something one can practice… it's going to require some emotional strength and likely mental preparation. The last thing I want is to let you and myself down because I'm not strong enough… but no. I'm strong enough. If I can live through that first year with that demon of mine behind my back then I can stand through this." Yugi said, in a much more serious tone than he had previously been using. Atem remembered that demon of his… he remembered more freshly how seductive it could be, particularly how much it strived to break Yugi all those years ago. It could be relentless but perhaps the worst thing about it was how convincing it could sound, even if he didn't believe a word it sprouted he couldn't deny it's logic.

Atem went to touch his hands and even though he was currently spectral he felt himself spiritually able to connect with him.

"I have every confidence in your strength Yugi. Even before, years ago, I always believed in your strength. You are and always have been, the strongest, bravest and most awe-inspiring person I have ever had the honor of meeting. And thats 3000 years of experience Yugi." Atem said earnestly.

Yugi giggled slightly, smiling with such heartfelt warmth. Atem could feel his confidence rising again, solidifying in his mind as his resolve strengthened. He could do this… it was just a matter of hoping nothing unforeseeable went wrong.

"So your on board with this?"

"For the moment. If you're positive that the Risk is low. then yes."

Yugi beamed, sighing in relief and clapping his hands together in excitement.

"Great! I can't wait to do this! Having you here in the flesh... this will be the best!"


	23. 23

The next day Yugi allowed Atem to play the racing console game again until their friends all arrived shortly before lunch time.

"Hey Yug! Ah playing the game I left here ah?" Joey said happily as he made himself comfortable beside him.

"Hey guys. Yes it's very fun. Yugi's been watching me play for a while now. I'll just finish this map and we'll swap back over." Atem said cheerfully.

"Oh buddy! I didn't realise it was you! Sorry." Joey laughed nervously.

"It's fine Joey." Atem giggled.

"How's he doin?" Tristan asked.

"Much better now he's rested. He slept all day so we were up all night again but I think he'll be able to fix his routine soon."

"Thats good. Yeah those work orders are always pretty rough." Tea agreed.

"He tells me it's not the first time he's had to pull all nighters like that."

"Oh dude once he was literally up for like 4 days. He basically slept through handing over the paperwork and talking to his boss. Trust us, 2 days is nothing new." Tea said.

Atem achieved the victory screen and in less than a second from achieving this Yugi stole his body back without warning.

"You guys are going to get me in trouble you know." He sighed as he saved Atem's progress for him.

"Sounds like there's still a bit more you have to tell me." Atem said in mock annoyance as he sat beside them all.

They laughed and relaxed as Yugi brought them tea to enjoy.

"Alright, so Yug. You wanted to talk to us yeah?" Tristan asked.

Yugi looked to Atem, who nodded and waited. He then brought out his journal and placed it in the middle of the coffee table.

"Inside that journal is extremely delicate instructions on how to use the Millenium items to bring a person back to life." He started.

Silence followed: appropriate. He wasn't sure how else to break the ice other than to come out right and say it. When he was satisfied their silence meant they were ready for more he continued.

"I started this journal after I recovered the artifacts. When I put them away is also when I put this away. For 3 years I haven't touched it… until now. I'm absolutely certain I haven't missed anything; anything unaccounted for is unknown to me but I'm certain I have as much covered as I can given the extremely limited knowledge out there."

"Yugi… bringing people back to life?" Tristan asked more in dismay and to confirm than to actually ask.

"Why do you wanna bring someone back to life?" Joey asked.

"You're not thinking of publishing this are you?" Tea asked.

"No. This is staying private. In fact I actually know the spell off by heart so I should be burning this. And I dont want to bring anyone back from the dead… not entirely anyway. Strictly speaking, bringing someone back from the dead is still impossible."

"But you said…"

"I can bring a body back to life using this ritual… but it wont last long without it's soul anchoring it down."

"Okay… so… I'm not following." Joey said slowly.

Tea's eyes lit up as her gaze shifted between Atem and Yugi, realising what he was getting at. Atem smiled to her, indicating she should wait so the boys could catch up.

"There's only one person I would have wanted to use this on but have been unable to until now. Even if I brought back his body, it wouldn't have lasted without his soul." Yugi clarified further.

Thats when they caught on, both looking to Atem and back to Yugi with wide eyes and brimming excitement.

"You're not…"

"Are you serious?"

"Yes. I can bring back Atem's body and now that he's here with us, he can return to it too. Using the Millenium items and my knowledge, we can bring him back entirely."

"Dude that's awesome!" Tristan cheered loudly.

"WOOHOO! We'll have our buddy back in the flesh!" Joey jumped for joy, punching the air enthusiastically.

"Wait a minute you guys. I'm excited too but Yugi… is this dangerous?" Tea asked.

"Nothings without it's dangers. But the reward would be worth it." Yugi shrugged.

"Tell them everything Yugi." Atem nagged him.

"I actually need your help with this if I'm to optimise our chances. There's a limited amount of time we can do this before it becomes too complicated and I need everyone on board if this is to succeed. There are two risks: misfire and backfire. Misfire isn't too bad… that will happen if something with the ritual goes wrong or Atem's body rejects him, in which case his soul will still be attached to mine and there's no harm there; I'll just have to figure out what went wrong.  
Backfire is if the ritual is interrupted in one way or another and I can't complete it...sort of like short circuiting. If that happens the result will vary depending on where we are in the spell. Atem could remain attached to me or he could attach to his body with no problems at all…. In both of those cases the damage lies with me: I could essentially die or become as good as dead… Alternatively the 3rd option is we could both be destroyed in the process."

"Dude… they're pretty big risks." Joey sat back down, his shoulders hunched in disappointment.

"But low chances of that happening if I have you guys making sure we don't get distracted. The entire process should take 10 minutes… 10 minutes with no interruptions and we should be okay. I've done my research, I've memorised everything I need to do… there's a low chance of a backfire happening. Missfire is way more likely and even then success is a lot higher than that."

"So what do you need us to do?"

"I just need you guys to make sure no one walks in on me. 10 minutes should be easy enough. Hell the actual process itself shouldn't take that long but thats giving room for error."

"What do you need to do?"

"A fair bit but for the ritual itself I need his body, the items, the spell and my blood. After his body is created its a matter of using a different spell to carve a path for him to take back into his body."

"He can't just possess it?" Tristan asked.

"No. By creating a path I'd be essentially opening a gate for him to take rather than jumping a fence. His body won't reject him this way and it makes for a cleaner separation of our souls. This protects me as well."

"I see."

"Well our job seems easy." Tea said simply.

"And… Atem… you cool with this too?" Tristan asked.

"I'm concerned for the risks to Yugi's health… he assures me the chances of backfire are low and I believe in his ability to do this. I do want to return to my own body… I have since coming back longed to touch and be present among you all. I'd like to go through with this until this becomes too much of a risk to take." Atem said carefully and clearly. Yugi understood his concern was primarily for his own well-being but Yugi remained convinced that this would work.

"Okay… then I guess we're doing this. Alright! Our buddies gonna be here with us!" Joey cheered.

"What needs to happen Yug? What's the plan?" Tristan asked.

"I've got a phone call to make. I won't be long." Yugi said happily as he stood, slipping his phone out from his pocket smoothly.

"Now?" Atem asked.

"Sooner the better. We only have a limited time, the sooner I can get this sorted the easier everything else will be." Yugi shrugged.

"Who are you calling?" Tea asked but he ignored her and left the room.

"He's calling Pegasus. He said he's got few strings to pull." Atem said, though his voice was reserved with concern.

"Oh yeah Pegasus does owe him a thing or two but this is pretty big. Think he'll make it clean?" Joey asked.

"Not a chance. But Yugi can handle it. More importantly, did he tell you how long he thinks it'll be til you get your body back?"

"He wants to do this before the Nameless King exhibit. Apparently my body is due for arrival on Monday and after that we will have a week before it goes on show."

"Makes sense. I think it's here for a month before it leaves again right?" Tea asked.

"Yes it will be going to the US. He says there's time after the show but it won't be much. If we are going to do this our chances are best before hand."

"Wait… If Yug needs your body to do this, what's going to happen to your body in the sarcophagus? Does he mean to bring that back to life? Cause I mean… doesn't that mean there won't be a body in the coffin?" Tristan asked.

"Hey yeah! What will that mean for the show?" Joey asked.

Atem shrugged. "He said he has some strings to pull regarding that but I'm not sure what that means. I wonder if that has anything to do with Pegasus."

"Pegasus is powerful. He might be able to pull some strings or rig up something to get away with it."

"Yeah but what will it cost Yugi?" Tea asked.

"Hopefully not much." Atem sighed.

"I'm still not sure what's happening. Like I know what's going to happen but what exactly is happening? Like… What's the plan?" Joey asked.

"I think Yugi still needs to iron out details first. I believe his talk with Pegasus will help set a date." Atem shrugged.

"Am I the only one nervous about this!? I mean I'm excited but Pegasus kinda still unnerves me." Tea said.

"I agree. But we can handle dis! I mean we're gonna get our buddy back! We haven't been in his physical presence since we went into his memories! This is gonna be so cool!"

Atem smiled. He shared each of their emotions and agreed wholeheartedly with Teas concerns but he felt a lot more confident with Joeys enthusiasm. He always appreciated his can do attitude.

Yugi came back then looking awfully smug with himself, much to Atems enjoyment. This must have been good news. He could feel his heart begin to quicken upon seeing the sparkle in his eyes and the smile upon his face. Maybe this would actually work.

"So?"

"This is gonna work. Pegasus is going to organise with Mr. Owoi and his men to order a perfect replica of Atems body. Owoi and i will discuss it later, that easy. The replica will be on show while the real body is "put away for its preservation." Just like the Items right now." Yugi said happily.

"A replica?"

"A very realistic one. Unless it's actually tested the public wont know. And Owoi doesn't need to know what I'll actually be doing to Atems body."

"So when will that be ready?" Joey asked.

"Friday. Atems body arrives on Monday. On Saturday I'm going to deliver a crate of some stuff we have here so that we can use it to get Atem out of the Museum without raising suspicion. On Monday when the shipment arrives I'm going to inspect the body in privacy. If i cant avoid people in with me on monday Ill be inspecting in depth on Tuesday. Whichever day I get privacy I'll have Tristan waiting outside the back with a trailer for us to come out. Joey and Tea I'll have you guys as my assistants keeping a lookout. When the ritual is complete, Atem yours going to be well asleep so I'm going to need your help Joey getting him in the crate so we can drive him home."

"Wait… I'll be in one of those wooden crates? From yesterday?" Atem asked nervously.

"Yes… but we'll put something soft in there. You'll be fine." Yugi said quickly.

Joey and Tristan laughed but quickly shut up when Atem glared at them.

"It's a 20 minute drive. Will he be okay in the crate?" Tea asked.

"Yeah we can pull over once we are clear of the Museum and give him air if he needs." Tristan said simply.

"I am sorry for putting you in this situation but this is the safest way to get you out without raising suspicion. I can't go in myself and leave with someone unconscious." Yugi explained to him. Atem sighed, nodding solemnly.

"I understand. I'm just glad I'll be unconscious." Atem smiled half heartedly.

"So… Monday or Tuesday then, right? Todays Wednesday… I don't suppose you mean this friday is when the replica will be ready?" Tristan asked.

"Yes this Friday. Pegasus is having it made here in the city. It will be delivered to the Museum where I will inspect it myself with Mr. Owoi. When Atem's body arrives we will replace it with the replica. I will have as much time as I want to myself to ensure that Atem's real body is safe and pristine.. Thats our highest chance." Yugi explained.

"Wow… so soon." Tea said quietly, almost inaudibly.

"So what now?" Atem asked.

"I won't get the items out until Sunday. Mr. Owoi won't be in the museum on the weekend and I'd like to have them on me for as little as possible. I'll have as much time as I like after this is done to return them without Mr. Owoi knowing I've even taken them out of storage. They won't be on show afterall. Essentially what we're doing with your body is what we have done already to the items."

"This is so cool! It's actually happening!" Tristan cheered with Joey, jumping up and down energetically.

"Hey Yugi, what will the state of Atem's body be? I mean when you bring it back, is he going to be weak? He hasn't eaten in 3000 years." Tea asked.

"His body will be as it was a few days before it passed. He's going to be exhausted, likely feel a bit a stiff in places for not having moved in so long and eventually when he wakes I'd be surprised if he wasn't starving but otherwise he should be healthy. Not mal-nourished or anything severe, probably in desperate need of a drink." Yugi shrugged.

"Will I be in wraps?" Atem asked.

"...probably. Your body would have been mummified so we're going to need to cut you free so you can breathe before putting you in the crate. You're also probably going to need clothes of your own. You can wear mine but I actually think you've got a bigger frame than I do." Yugi said with his finger to his chin as he thought.

"Oh we can go clothes shopping!" Tea said excitedly. She sounded almost more excited about that than anything else so far. "I can't wait to help you pick out your own style! Between Egyptian clothing and Yugi's love of leather you haven't really been able to explore whatelse would suit you!"

Atem looked to Yugi for help but he was giving Tea and unamused expression before he shook his head in actual amusement.

"I'll need money… I'll need an actual identiy won't I? I won't be a citizen of this country. As far as the worlds concerned I'd have just appeared."

"I can talk to Bec about that." Yugi shrugged it off nonchalantly.

"She works in the American government though Yug, not the Japanese." Tristan pointed out.

"She's got connections."

"Seems like you have this all sorted out huh Yug." Joey said happily and proudly, to which Yugi beamed with confidence.

"I've been playing with this idea for years. I never thought I'd actually get to go through with it though."

"Is that how you knew Pegasus would be able to help?" Tristan asked.

"Whats the catch by the way?" Joey asked.

"Yes and he hasn't decided yet. He's holding me to a favor. He doesn't know Atem is back, so far he believes my concern for his body's safety. If he knew Atem would be coming back I would be owing him a LOT for this."

"Way to dupe the man Yug." Joey said, impressed. Atem shared his impression; he didn't realise how dubious his partner could be, or how well thought out his plan was. He'd thought of everything so far. He was so proud of him and couldn't wait to hold him for real.

"So what can we do today?" Tea asked.

"At the moment nothing. I've got a call I can make to arrange a delivery to the museum but that can be done later."

"Yugi… what about Leon?" Joey asked suddenly. His tone was serious and took him by surprise. Atem had mentioned having 3 weeks left earlier but his concern until now had been getting his work done and body back… If he was honest he hadn't given Leon a lot of thought.

"There's not much i can do about him right now. I don't know where he is, what power he has or what it is I'm supposed to discover next month. I could look into what he was doing before he returned if you like but right now my priorities are elsewhere." Yugi said, glancing to Atem and back.

"Yeah I just hope he doesn't strike before we go through with this." Joey said.

"What if he does?" Tea asked.

"We deal with it as it comes. Leon is a variable I can't account for. He's too unpredictable. Truth be told, he would be the biggest reason I need you guys to make sure we don't get disturbed. He can attack me all he likes after we secure Atems life."

"I'm not fond of that notion." Atem said sternly.

"Within reason." Yugi corrected for his satisfaction.

"Okay. Stay vigilant people. We can do this!" Tristan said confidently, switching the mood back to excited.

"Right! There's nothing we can't accomplish together!" Joey joined in.

"This is going to be so great! We should have a party when this succeeds!" Tea said happily.

Yugi looked to Atem who smiled warmly to him. They shared their enthusiasm, eager for the day to come that he would walk on his own among them.

Grandpa came around the corner then wearing his sneakers and pocketing his wallet while twirling his keys around his finger.

"Ready to go Yugi?" He asked pleasantly.

"...to go?" Yugi asked, confused.

Atem giggled to himself as his friends stood to leave too. What was happening?

"You've got a doctor's appointment Yugi. Its been just over a week since your surgery." Atem said.

"It has?!" Yugi asked.

"Yep. It's cool. Seems we can't do much more damage around here until Friday. So let us know how you go and if you need anything okay?" Joey said happily as he messed Yugis hair up as they passed.


	24. 24

"Take that over there and be sure to run it by Hanson afterwards. Sam, gloves on please!" Yugi ordered various people around as they prepared the Mesopatamian exhibit for the weekend. He was waiting for the replica delivery to arrive but until then he thought he would help Hanson with his exhibit. Atem watched, floating nearby but careful to stay out of Yugi's peripheral while he worked. He seemed to not notice he was being watching but this made it all the more fun for Atem to watch.

Yugi had a lot of sway here. He had noticed this the first time he came here with him, but to see him give orders and directions was a thrill. He reminded him of a true king. He felt so relieved to see him in such control; he wasn't entirely sure why but he supposed it was because he was even more sure that he would have been fine while he slept. He knew that of course but seeing was believing.

"Dr. Moto to receiving. Dr. Moto to receiving." They heard a voice call over the PA system.

"This goes with the fertilitu team and tell Hanson im out for half an hour." Yugi told the young man he was talking to before he walked away with purpose towards Recieving.

"This is it." He told Atem internally as he floated beside him. He was excited. Atem could feel his energy bubbling beneath his skin and he couldn't help but share in his enthusiasm. Yugis happiness was contagious after all.

He met a man at the receiving dock as a small team started unloading a lock wooden sealed crate. Inside would be his replica… It would have to be believable, likely made of something that even felt like mummified body. He couldn't deny the morbid curiosity of how it turned out especially in such a quick time.

"Okay let's get him open." Yugi said once they unloaded the nakeshift coffin to the ground.

"Here?"

"I want to see how it came out before i accept it. No one knows the real body like i do." Yugi explained.

Atem blushed but pushed it away quickly as the team lifted tje lid and slid it gently down. Yugi ensured his gloves were on tightly before bending over to touxh and prod at the fake corpse inside. Atem floated overhead to peer at his replica. Wrappings were worn and frayed in places, long since losing their pristine condition. Any bones he could see were darkened with dust and dirt and his skin was dried to perfectly contour with the bones they wrapped around. He was laid to rest with his hands over his chest, tightly clasping an Ankh and Rod. His jewellery on his fingers shined brightly, bearing minute scratches from every day wear and his headpiece was now too large fot his skull but looked almost brand new in comparison. It certainly looked believable. If Atrm didny know better hed have said it was him. He even remembered the jewellery it wore and im fact was wearing them now as he floated above.

Yugi remained silent thiugh as he felt the body in places, running his hands along the neck, feeling the chest and measuring the hips.

"This should do. I don't think anyone save an expert will tell the difference." Yugi said finally as he took his gloves off.

"How is it Moto?" Mr. Owoi asked as he approached them.

"Sir. It's excellent. I can tell the difference but the public shouldn't. It's believable." Yugi said to him cheerfully.

"There's a difference?" Atem asked him quietly but Yugi ignored him.

"Alright. Put it in section 23Z and make sure to seal it back up." Mr. Owoi ordered the men before he and Yugi went for a walk.

"The Nameless King should be here on schedule. I just got off the phone with Ms. Ishtar. She's happy to have the replica replace the real body but she's asking if that's the case why they need to transfer Pharoah at all. I told her you needed to inspect it yourself but she raises a good point Yugi."

"I'd like to have it here during the exhibit even if its not on show just in case the replica doesnt take. Id thought of that too. If it goes well without a hitch then ill send the real back to Cairo while the fake goes on tour." Yugi explained.

"I see. Thats fair. How is everything else coming along?"

"As expected. Everything's accounted for and being prepared as we speak. I'm all caught up and actually going to be bringing back some reserved work on Monday."

"Are you just?" Mr. Owoi asked, clearly amused.

"Yeah. I kinda have to keep busy at the moment." Yugi said.

"Understandable. Considering how close you came to becoming an exhibit recently. Are you sure you don't need any time off?"

"That's the last thing I need right now sir. Id rather keep working." Yugi said.

"Okay. Well I'm not complaining. After all the work you've been doing lately. That presentation for the focus you gave us is brilliant."

"Right? If the boys in Syria can find any more that might be from the same craftsman id be interested in taking a look." Yugi said pleasantly.

"I'll let Hanson know. Have you seen Leon lately?"

"I'm… no sir. Not since he came back." Yugi answered.

"I haven't been able to contact him. If you talk to him please tell him to contact me."

"Of course."

"Alright well I'll leave you to it. See you later Moto."

"Good day sir."

Once he was far enough away Yugi let out a tired yet relieved sigh.

"Seems your friend is laying low." Atem said to him, though he growled the word friend.

"As long as he stays quiet until after Monday." Yugi said quietly.

"So what's next?" Atem asked.

"I get out the items on Sunday. We make the switch Monday." Yugi said as he walked away.

"We are free today and tomorrow."

"Everything's going to plan?"

"Yep. Almost a little too well."

"What's wrong?"

"I just … have this feeling. The replica is perfect. Owoi suspects nothing. Leon is remaining quiet. Your body is on schedule and the items remain untouched."

"So where's the knife?" Atem asked.

"Exactly." Yugi sighed. "Maybe I'm over thinking. I just want this to go right."

Atem touched his shoulder lovingly and pressed his head to his.

"One step at a time. We will get through anything life can throw at us together, right?" Atem asked warmly.

"Yes." Yugi smiled. The sparkle in Atems deep violet eyes soothed his mind, bringing his anxiety back down to ground level and lifting his spirits. He was right. Whatever happened they'd get through it together.


	25. 25

Joey, Tristan, Tea and Mai all hung around Yugis place that night, playing console games with one another while Atem watched and talked with them. Yugi was ignoring them, lost in his journal in the corner of the lounge. He had read through this book time and time again he almost didn't need it anymore but still, he turned the pages, examining the words and diagrams, going through scenario after scenario in his mind as his eyes glazed over the ink.

"Yuuuuuugi."

"Huh?" Yugi perked up eventually.

"What pizza do you want?" Joey asked as he held the phone to his ear.

"We're having pizza? Umm… Whatever Teas having."

"Alright."

"You okay Yugi?" Tea asked as she climbed up next to him to lean on his shoulder affectionately.

"Yeah. I can't shake the feeling I'm missing something. I've been through this book often enough I can recite it."

"Relax Yugi. If what every one tells me is true then you've got nothing to worry about. Even Atem is confident in your ability." Mai said happily. He put the book down at his feet and rubbed his eyes tiredly.

"I'm confident in my ability to do this, it's what I don't know that concerns me. But your right. I need to take this as it comes." Yugi said.

"Come play a game with us." Tea said happily, dragging him from his place on the couch to join them by the console.

"Keep working yourself too hard Yugi and I'll have to make you relax later." Atem whispered to him internally.

"Keep that up and I'll show you what working yourself hard can feel like." Yugi whispered back to him cheekily.

Sunday.

Yugi waited impatiently in the car with his seat leaning back and legs on the dash, bopping his foot over his knee. It was too early in the morning for the doors to the museum to open but he couldn't sit idly at home. All he needed was his key then he could retrieve the items but even with his clearance the guards would not let him in. So he waited, a hot chocolate warming his fingers and his radio on softly in the background.

Atem was still sleeping within his mind and with how much fun they've been having together over night he didn't expect him to be awake anytime soon.

A blush crept upon Yugis cheeks as he thought fondly of their activities lately. He was excited to give Atem his own body again so he could live among them instead of sharing his body. The perks the come with were enough to drive him to do this. But since they've been together he wanted this even more. Touching him, spending time with him, exploring one another within his mind felt real enough but to actually have him here with him… He wanted this more than anything.

8:00 ticked over and he began moving to leave.

Now the hour had ticked he was permitted entry. The lights were still off and every doorstep echoed down the halls loud enough to wake the dead. There would be minimal staff here today so he wasn't worried about being caught doing this.

Using his ID to let himself through the staff entry and bee lined to his office, switching the light on. He left the door open.. He wouldn't be long and aside from him there were only the guards in this building right now.

He needed his key which he kept in a safe beneath his desk, but to anyone else his desk was built into the floor and couldnt be moved. This key was also the reason he chose not to move his office. He went over to his computer, opened a few programs and clicked a button. When he heard the beep of the security camera chime softly he knew he was good to do whatever he wanted in here until he told the camera to stop looping. The security guards wouldnt suspect a thing.

Turning a totem pole around and stepping on the tile beneath it he heard the click behind his desk: now he could move it.

"Good morning." He heard from the door and immediately he spun on his heel to meet Leons gaze from the frame.

Panic gripped him instantly but grasped whatever nerve he had left and collected himself. Atem was asleep, the security camera was looping and no one else was around… this was Leons chance to strike him quickly and he wouldn't know how to defend against his abilities without Atem or the items.

But Leon leant on the frame, arms crossed over his chest, a tired hollow expression on his face. His eyes were almost blank, his cheeks sullen. His hair was unwashed and his clothes were wrinkled and unkempt. Still, as much as he appeared to have fallen he held a certain smugness about him as if his appearance and wellbeing was the last thing he was concerned about. He knew events of the future and his confidence in his abilities shone through his blank image. His eyes were locked onto his; no sparkle or sign of life, just calculating fire.

"Leon. Mr. Owoi is looking for you." Yugi said calmly.

"Im sure. Have you decided to quit yet?"

"Thought about it. Have you decided to finish the job?" Yugi asked, matching his strong tone.

"Thought about it. Youre rarely alone these days. I was hoping the hospital wouldn't be able to save you so I wouldnt have to get my hands bloody."

"Because a little blood would hurt your appearance. What happened to you Leon?" Yugi asked.

"I saw the future. It's funny… my job is to uncover the past so that we may learn from it, to build a better future with the knowledge of the past as our foundation. But all I found was a future, burning and crumbling and people dying and screaming."

"And im the one that causes this if I'm not wrong." Yugi said as he casually leant against his desk, folding his arms across his chest too.

He felt Atem stirring within… He must sense his tension. He reached out to him to tell him to be calm but on alert. When he was sure his message was recieved he ignored his growing concern to focus on Leon. Atem would be out soon enough he was sure.

"In the eye of the storm. You are the one that pushes the first domino. Domino city is where ruin will spread and you are the reason why they fall. If i dont stop you before the month is out I will have failed man kind."

"Why don't we cut a deal then? You tell me the area in which I make this discovery and I won't go near it. Curiosity aside i cant destroy the world if i dont do whatever it is that destroys it." Yugi proclaimed as Atem floated cautiously out to sit beside him. When he saw Leon he tensed immediately, ready to switch places at a moment's notice but Yugi held him back. He wanted to see where this would go. If Leon attacked or this became heated then he would let Atem do his thing. Until then this was his fight.

"I can't do that Yugi. I myself don't actually know what you discover but the spirits do. They wont tell me, in fear i will discover it instead but they have seen you make it… in almost every scenario you make it and when you do you will unleash the end of days upon us. If you quit now, live a life on the downlow we can avoid bloodshed … or I can kill you here, ensuring that only one life is spilled rather than countless millions."

"Do you expect me to let you kill me? I've had a deathwish once before, I've got too much to live for now to just decide it's okay for you to slide in that knife your carrying." Yugi said, pointing to the hilt of an old dagger he was lazily hiding in his belt. He slid it out, admiring the craftsmanship of the carvings before he tossed it to the floor between them where it slid and spun to a stop.

"I don't want to kill you Yugi." He said.

"My hospital bill says otherwise." Yugi said snarkily.

"I do apologise for that -"

"No. You apologise because I lived. Your here today to instill fear and doubt in the hopes that i will run where you will be able to finish me off without anyone interrupting. Dont think me an idiot Leon, because i dont think that of you. If i quit my job at the museum that wont mean im no longer an archaeologist with the ability to discover things without these resources. You know that even if I were to quit, the chances ill make this discovery are still high and you are mad enough to believe that the only way to ensure the worlds safety is with my death. You were never an idiot Leon, dont start acting like one now." Yugi snapped at him.

"So you admit that im going to have to kill you." Leon offered.

"I admit that your going to have to try." Yugi said. Leon pushed off the frame to enter the room but as he did Yugi moved his heel to hit a switch on his desk and immediately two spears shot from the floor to block his entry, narrowly missing his feet and impaling his body. He stood, frozen and wide eyed… now he showed emotion: fear.

"I told you not to think me an idiot. Dont think ive let my guard down because there are security guards all over this building."

"That could have killed me Yugi. Good to see your living up to expectations. I suppose its fitting that if youre going to destroy mankind then i would be the first blood spilled trying to stop you."

Yugi said nothing, he merely watched, ready to set off the next trap if he were to try and get around the spears… he didn't want to but he would if he needed to. He only wished the cameras weren't looping. If he killed Leon here even in self defence he wouldn't be able to explain his way out of court… this was dangerous.

"Does Mr. Owoi know you've rigged your office?" Leon asked, stepping back to gather himself.

"Hes the one who paid for it." Yugi replied and as he did the spears retracted back into the floor.

Leon sighed but eventually nodded. "You have to leave this building eventually and when you do you won't have your traps to protect you. I won't offer you another chance Yugi. The next time we meet I will kill you." Leon left on that note, his footsteps echoing down the hall until Yugi heard the gentle slam of the staff door locking behind him.

That's when Yugi allowed himself to let go of the tension he'd been feeling, sighing deeply and sinking to his knees. His heart was racing as adrenaline ran marathons through his body. He shook a little, trying hard to keep his calm but he was so shaken up he couldnt help it. Atem crouched beside him, touching his shoulder gently and pulling him into a comforting and strong hug. He felt the warmth and even though he was too on edge to enter the protection of his own mind where he could feel his embrace, he was even more ready to bring him back for good. He wouldnt have his power to protect him against Leons abilities, but he would have his support and knowledge that he would he safe even if Leon attacked.

"Yugi, are you okay?" Atem asked him softly.

"Yes. We need to do this tomorrow… as early as possible." Yugi said strongly. His voice oozed determination and fire and passion… it was almost frightening to Atem but still he held him until Yugi stood to close the door.

"The nerve of him to come in here and threaten you on your own. The coward cant fight you when youve got protection." Atem said angrily.

Yugi said nothing as he picked up the dagger Leon had tossed aside. It was Syrian… very old. Likely he got it on his latest trip there… why he chose to bring a few hundred year old dagger as his choice of weapon instead of a modern blade was beyond him but perhaps it held some significant irony.

"What's on your mind? Your closed to me." Atem asked.

Yugi approached him, tossing the dagger onto his desk lightly before bringing them both into his mind, into a room that looked just like his office. He gave Atem little time to adjust when he pushed himself onto him, locking his lips with his and grabbing his waist to pull into him. He pushed Atem back onto the desk, standing between his legs as he pressed his pelvis against his. Atem moaned and sighed as Yugi licked his neck, nibbling on his ear and sucking on his skin. Atem gripped the side of the desk tightly as Yugis hands explored his body, tugging at his clothes until they wished them off.

Atem wrapped his legs around Yugis waist, taking his hands to hold his jaw and kissed him passionately, his tongue dancing with his, fighting for dominance.

It wasn't long before Yugi had Atem pinned against his desk; His books and papers and computer all pushed off haphazardly as he took him with such loving force. Atem deep violet eyes burned with such love as he gazed into Yugis lustful lavender, and with every thrust Yugi came closer to losing his mind within him until finally he couldn't. He felt Atems breathing shift and as his moaning became louder they released together, panting and breathing hard as their bodies rocked and shook, softening and relaxing.

Atem lifted Yugis face to his, kissing him softly and slowly. A tender motion to contrast the aggression Yugi had been feeling earlier.

"Feel better?" Atem whispered to him lovingly.

"Much." Yugi giggled.

"Soon we can do this for real." Atem said as he nuzzled his nose affectionately.

"Maybe without trashing my office though." Yugi joked.

"Your the one that did this, not me." Atem laughed.

Yugi let him off the desk, bringing himself back into the real world to clean himself off and make himself somewhat presentable. He was thankful for now when they were together he was a lot messier in his mind. His body reacted as it should and he found he'd need to wait a while before leaving the room but he wasn't in a rush to leave. When they do this in person it'll be a different story.

He smiled fondly at the word; when… soon. Starting tomorrow Atem would have a body of his own and once they recovered they could have one another whenever they wished.

Until then Yugi sat at his desk, not trashed at all, and waited for his body to calm down while Atem sat beside him, feeling awfully smug about not having to do this.

"You wanna know what I find surprising?" Atem asked him but his tone suggested a level of cheekiness Yugi was hesitant to humour.

"What?" He asked anyway.

"I find it surprising how forceful you can be. You come off all innocent but get you in the mood and your a beast." Atem giggled.

"Your not helping." Yugi sighed.

"You know what else is surprising?"

"I'm sure you'll tell me."

"You've rigged your office." Atem said incredulously.

"Oh yeah the traps are only active when I've turned the lock on my desk."

"Lock on your desk?" Atem asked.

Yugi stood to slide his desk out from the wall about a foot before he climbed underneath it.

"My desk is built into the floor so it can't be moved. But if I unlock the floor it's standing on I can move it to get to a hidden safe underneath. Most people would think if I were to hide anything it'd be amongst all my shit but this way even if they tear this room apart they won't find the safe unless they know to turn the pole and then move the desk."

"That's clever. But what if they did remove everything, they'd get to the pole eventually." Atem asked as he leaned over his shoulder.

"They need my combination to get in the safe and currently there's very few people who can even guess what it is and even less that remember it exactly."

"May I ask what it is?" Atem asked cheekily.

Yugi opened the door and slid out a small envelope before straightening back up again to let the key fall into his hand. It was an ordinary looking key, gold in colour and shining brightly as if brand new.

"The day you left." Yugi said fondly.

Atem smiled warmly, feeling his heart bubbling again.

"You know what else I find surprising?" He asked softly.

"How sentimental I am?" Yugi asked as a joke.

Atem draped himself across his back, nuzzling into his hair in an affectionate headbutt.

"How much I love you."


	26. 26

Leon sat isolated on a public bench, eyes closed in meditation as the birds chirped nearby and people began to go about their daily business. The air was fresh on his skin, creeping beneath his clothes to chill his body but his mind kept him warm, distancing him from his surroundings to put him in an almost omnipotent state as he drowned out the voices urging him to move.

He heard the screaming, the explosions and the roar of the fires. The shouting and shrieks and cries of anguish and in between the silences he heard the whispering of a faceless voice, singing to him and begging for him to prevent this madness.

Yugi was inside the museum. He could see his car still parked in the parking lot and it was not yet open to the public yet for him to slip out unnoticed… even so, his wards would tell him the moment he left the perimeter. If he were to slink away without his car he would know. Even so, the museum would be barely populated today, as long as he was inside and alone it would be easy enough for him to go back in and kill him. There are a number of ways he could make it look an accident but even if he was caught by the guards, the future would be safe and maybe then the voices, the screaming would stop and if he were to perish or be locked away for his crime he could handle that knowing the world was safe.

Until then though, what small part of him that wished he wasn't chosen for this, persevered through the torment and waited. He respected Yugi as a fellow scientist, he respected his knowledge and experience and valued his advice and friendship. He admired Yugi as a person and he did regret their friendship had come to this; he wished it had been someone else chosen to save the world from him or that it had been someone else that would bring destruction…. But it wasn't so. All he could do was hopelessly give him time to set his affairs in order or decide to choose the path that would not lead to the worlds destruction. But even that notion was nothing but vain hope; nothing Yugi could do or not do would stop whats coming… the voices insisted on that.

"Is he still out there?" Yugi asked through the phone in the lobby as laid lazily on the couch usually reserved for visitors.

"Yeah… I dont think he's leaving Yug. Maybe you should leave out the back entrance?" Joey's voice said from the other end.

"I tried earlier. I get this feeling whenever I get a certain distance that I'll be in danger if I go any further. I can't really explain it but Atem feels it too."

"Think he did something?"

"This is a big building and he can't watch all of it. He'd be an idiot if he didn't set up something to let him know if I had left." Yugi shrugged.

"Alright. Want us to go move him along?"

"No. He's dangerous Joey. He may not hurt any of you but he was able to almost kill me without touching me. I can't risk you guys for this. We don't know enough about what it is he can actually do."

"True… god this sucks! What do you wanna do Yug?"

Yugi looked to Atem sitting beside him, waiting patiently with his legs crossed as he casually looked around them. He was so close now but it wasn't worth risking anything just to come back here tomorrow.

"I'm gonna stay here tonight. The guards will keep us safe and the delivery is coming in the morning between 8:30 and 11. When it gets here I'll let you guys know."

Atem looked to him then, confused but silent.

"You sure?"

"Yeah. It wouldn't have been the first time I've slept here. We'll be fine."

"Okay, if you need anything we're just a phonecall away. Send an SOS if you have to, we'll be right over. Oh and Yug, maybe let the guards know to be on the lookout for Leon?"

"They won't let him in after close. They wouldn't even let me in this morning before opening. Come close unless he attacks the guards I know I'll be fine. But I'll be careful. I promise. I'll see you guys tomorrow morning." Yugi said, pocketing his phone away and sighing.

"Staying here tonight?" Atem asked.

"Yep. Leon's still outside, no sign of moving so it's just us today." Yugi said happily.

"Whatever will we do?"

Yugi smirked, his lavender eyes sparkling with mischief intent before he smoothly launched himself off the lounge to stand.

"I have an idea." He said happily.

Yugi gave him a tour of the museum. He'd been here before years ago of course, but he wanted to show him some of the things he'd contributed himself over the years and tell him their stories.

They spent hours strolling around as Yugi told him stories, calming his nerves and just enjoying one another's company. On occasion Atem would bring them into his mind to an area that looked just like where they had been standing just so he could hold his hand or tease him. Not that Yugi minded of course; if he got too frisky in public he'd switch places with him so he would have to walk around with the problem he was causing beneath his clothes.

When they were alone though back in Yugi's office, for all the teasing he'd done to him today Yugi allowed him to let loose. Atem had control of where they were in their minds, taking him many times in certain areas of the museum where they MIGHT have been caught had it been real. Despite it being in their minds, the thrill of being watched or caught even by the guards was intoxicating.

After how ever many times they were now resting together on Yugi's floor, Atem nuzzled into his side as he wrapped his arms around his waist as Yugi calmed his breathing. He was well spent but his body in real life was more or less still ready to go. The perks of screwing in their minds was his stamina wasn't really an issue right now but his mental fortitude strained a little.

"Things are going to be different after tomorrow." Atem said softly and very quietly. Almost to himself.

"But for the better, right?" Yugi asked, matching his gentle tone.

He felt Atem squeeze him closer affectionately, smiling to himself.

"Yes. For the better."

"Good. We're too close now to call this off." Yugi joked.

Atem moved, propping himself up to his elbows to gaze lovingly into his eyes, his fingers stroking his cheeks like a feather. Yugi smiled warmly to him, getting lost within the colours of his egyptian partner before he felt embarrassed and blushed heavily.

"What?" Yugi laughed nervously.

"This is more than likely our last night to do whatever we want where ever we want, right?" Atem asked.

"Yes?"

Atem smirked before he changed the scenery then to that of his Pharoah's bedroom. They laid on his bed, the feather mattress soft beneath them and golden ceiling almost reflecting them.

It was night time, but the braziers were lit and the city outside was lit too with their torches and braziers and candles inside the houses.

"Here?" Yugi asked. It occurred to him before that of all the times they had been together not once had they done it within one of Atem's memories. It had always been in the present, normally wherever they were or had been recently.

"I don't believe we'll get another chance to make use of this room… or any of my other rooms when I'm no longer a part of you." Atem said sweetly. That last part made him feel sad though… he'd been so excited to give him his body back he hadn't played with the thought that they wouldn't be together like this again but instead in a much more real sense.

Yugi touched his cheek and smiled, sharing his comfort and warmth with him.

"You're always going to be a part of me in one way or another." Yugi told him lovingly.

Atem smiled, leaning down to kiss him gently and together they shared a long, passionate and tender kiss that touched their hearts more than it touched their bodies. Their love-making was sweet and slow, gentle and almost more amazing than anything they had done together.


	27. 27

"Gently. Gently." Yugi ordered nervously as the wooden crate was lowered off the truck onto a large flat trolley. Once it was down safely he and one other climbed ontop of it to release the pullies and straps, giving out instructions to many other people.

Atem watched nearby, trying his hardest to keep calm so Yugi would not be distracted. He was excited, nervous and antsy. Inside that box would be his sarcophagus and inside that his 3000 year old body. For him, being alive wasn't all that long ago but for his body it had been 3000 years since he had inhabited it. He remembered the replica and Yugi had said it was perfect… meaning more or less inside that box was the same image he had seen a few days ago.

As he watched Yugi giving his commands with such confidence he felt stronger; he didn't seem nervous at all, not even when they had been waiting for the truck to arrive. He knew what he was doing… it surprised him how much more independent he had become but in a way he missed when the roles were reversed. Before he was always the calm one, the one needing to ground Yugi… but now he felt strangely vulnerable. It was strange but he knew before long his nerves would be settled.

"Okay, take it to storage E-P 1. I'll be there soon." Yugi ordered as he got his phone out.

"Guys. It's here. Half an hour? See you soon." He said before pocketing his phone again.

"Half an hour?" Atem asked him.

"They'll be here in about half an hour. Truck should be gone by then. Don't worry I won't do anything yet. You okay?"

"Nervous but yes."

He could feel Yugi reaching out to him and smiled weakly. He was truly grateful for everything Yugi was doing, he just couldnt shake his nerves. He was comfortable like this but unsure of what his own body would be like. He wanted this, he didn't want to back out now but his mind was racing too quick for his own liking.

"Everything will be fine. I've got you no matter what happens." Yugi said comfortingly as they walked.

He followed the boys pushing the trolly into storage E-P 1: a sizeable storage room that looked more like a warehouse than a room. All manner of Egyptian statues, paintings, artifacts, clothing… anything old that could be found in a museum that was Egyptian was within this room, including some things he had seen before such as Tutankhamun's throne and Ramesis's weapons. The name of the room must have stood for Egyptian but he couldn't figure out what the P stood for... Pushing it from his mind he continued to float behind Yugi as the men wheeled the trolly to a large vacant area towards the middle of the room.

"Alright here is fine. Gently now when it comes off the bed. Can we get rope underneath to lower the impact?" Yugi ordered again.

Immediately they worked together to lower the box down upon the concrete and wheeled the trolly away.

"Alright, crowbar."

Together Yugi and 2 others now armed with crowbars set to dismantling the wooden box to reveal the golden sarcophagus inside. Its colours were bright, the carvings intricate in every detail, it's shine was gloriously hypnotising - this was his sarcophagus. It was beautiful. He had never actually seen his sarcophagus before but he knew when the Kings died they were given every bit of care as they did in life, if not more. He died so young and so soon after coronation that he was just thankful he had a tomb, let alone a sarcophagus so splendidly crafted. King Seto truly lived with honor and respect. How he wished his modern day counterpart had been more like him.

Yugi walked around the sarcophagus like a predator around prey, examining it closely before coming full circle and nodding approvingly.

"Alright, lets open it up."

They ditched the crowbars and took out long thin metal rods to slide inbetween the lid and walls and with the same motion carefully lifted the lid and pushed just enough to prepare rope and pullies so that someone somewhere else could use a crane attached to the ceiling to completely lift the lid and carry it off. He hadn't seen that before but it made sense now, there were a lot of large and heavy objects in this room, they would need something like that to help transport them.

Yugi bent over the wall, examining his real body in much the same way as he did with the fake and when he came back he clapped, smiled and nodded in satisfaction.

"Okay, it's perfect. Thank you boys, that's all the heavy lifting I need for the day." Yugi said to them happily. They bowed their heads in respect and acknowledgement before leaving Yugi to stand by the sarcophagus, hands upon his hips as he thought with a smile pulling at the corners of his lips.

"That's you in there." Yugi said to him quietly.

Atem hovered over the sarcophagus to spy his mummified remains. It looked no different to the fake he saw a few days ago but somehow he knew this to be genuine… which made him feel a little faded, almost dizzy. He floated back to Yugi to stand beside him. He was feeling a bit nauseous… if he could… and he wasn't sure if it was anxiety or seeing his own dried flesh and bones beneath those wrappings or the skeletal shape that was his body.

"Thats going to be like it was before I died right?" Atem asked.

"Yes. Likely 1-2 days before hand. Don't worry, you'll have a lot more meat on you soon enough. You won't be walking around held together by bandages." Yugi giggled.

"Yugi I'm feeling a bit unsure about this." Atem admitted.

"I understand your apprehension but trust me… if we go through with this then in a few days when you wake up you and I will be able to hold one anothers hand outside of my mind, you'll be able to feel the breeze and sunlight on your skin without borrowing my body, you'll be able to hang out with our friends without it having to either be you or me… we'll be able to do a lot more together."

"But Yugi if this doesn't work… what if my body doesn't last after this? All your effort will have been for nothing and I can't just reattach myself to you. What if this ritual has a much higher toll on your body than you think? What if when I'm real … you might not -?" He began to trail off then. Yugi took him to his mind and held his hand.

"I might not want you anymore?" Yugi asked him gently.

The sting of his words hurt but they were what he went to say. He nodded meekly and Yugi sighed.

"I'm not in love with you for convenience Atem. I love you for who you are and everything you've done for me. You helped me grow into a person even I can be proud of, a person who even I want to keep alive. You're my hero and whether you live within me or within your own body isn't going to change how I feel about that." Yugi said sweetly, his words a lullaby to his anxious knot of a heart.

"I do need you on board with this if this is going to work. If you're not sold then we won't do it. I intend to still use the replica to replace your body for the exhibit, there won't be any loss there. I'll have to put the items back away but thats not a big deal. If you are not comfortable with this then I need to know. I'll be… confused but I'll understand."

Atem thought about this a moment, looking past Yugi to his sarcophagus and then around them to the Egyptian artifacts around the room. Everything in this building has had its time to shine and every living thing in this building was shining through in this moment in time… he was alive for 17 years… he was Pharoah for about a week at most… he never had the chance to shine on his own and now Yugi was wanting to give it to him. He could live with Yugi for the rest of his life … or he could live with Yugi for the rest of both their lives… or they could perish… but he supposed they'd still be together.

The look in Yugi's eyes though, all his confidence the last few days, his sincerity and certainty that he could do this… he needed to trust him.

"I want to do this. I trust you Yugi. Just… be careful. Please. I don't want any harm to come to you."

Yugi smiled, squeezing his hand reassuringly and a new fire sparked within him; one of excitement and exhilaration that seemingly dragged Atem with him.

"I promise this will work." Yugi told him strongly before he returned them to the real world. "We've got work to do."

One hour later

Yugi had finally finished with all his preparation. Tristan waited outside with his car and a trailer, Joey and Tea were with them as Yugi placed the items in a wide circle around Atem's sarcophagus. He had drawn egyptian hieroglyphs to make a strange symbol connecting the items to the sarcophagus and saved a smaller circle where he would be standing. It looked almost cultish only Egyptian. When he completed his last loop, journal in hand to make sure he hadn't skipped a step or forgotten anything took a deep breath to calm his own nerves.

"Alright, so we just need to wait outside for 10 minutes right? And stop anyone from entering?" Joey asked.

"Yep. Make it look casual though. If anyone asks say I'm very busy and don't want to be disturbed and you guys are just waiting to leave with me." Yugi replied.

"And if they try to enter anyway we politely turn them around." Tea confirmed.

"Yes. No one should come this way though and if they do just ask them to leave a note on my desk. Nothing will be urgent today… by all rights I don't even need to be here today so I doubt anyone will be looking for me. 10 minutes come in quietly, close the door behind you and if I'm not finished just wait. It shouldn't take more than 5 but just incase… The crates over there and the fake is in that box. I want to put the fake inside the sarcophagus before we leave and close up the fake coffin too. I'll be handling the camera's so the guards won't suspect a thing."

"Cameras! We're being watched?"

"Not right now. I looped the cameras an hour ago before I started all this. My laptops over there I can turn them back on when we're done."

"Damn Yug when did you learn to do that?" Joey asked.

"Bec taught me." Yugi shrugged it off.

"Okay…. Then I guess we'll put a timer on our phone when the door closes." Tea said happily.

"You good?" Yugi asked Atem.

He nodded firmly and Yugi smiled.

"10 minutes and you'll be breathing on your own."

"In a wooden crate wrapped in bandages." Atem pointed out, half a joke.

"You'll be asleep, you won't even know."

Tea and Joey left them to it and immediately once the door closed Yugi stood in the circle he'd drawn for himself.

"Is there anything you need me to do?" Atem asked him.

"Not yet. Try to stay calm. There are two parts to this: reconstructing your body and creating the path for you to take. It's a little vague on what we can expect but regardless on what happens I need you to remain calm and trust me. I need complete concentration here." Yugi said as he took out a small knife from his jacket. Atem felt uneasy at the sight of the blade but he trusted Yugi. He had mentioned before that blood would be needed.

Atem looked to his sarcophagus reflecting the ceiling lights as it sat heavily only a few feet away. Soon his connection to Yugi would be severed. It wouldnt have been the first time but at least this time he expected to wake and join him in life.


	28. 28

Atem waited nervously nearby as Yugi chanted quietly to himself in Egyptian. He recognised the names of the gods he prayed to, imploring them to honor their bargain and provide him their power. As he chanted the words the lights began to flicker and power began to build around him to push his hair and clothes.

Once he promised blood as payment he took the knife and cut his palm, dripping the blood on each of the symbols around him. As he did so the chalk on the ground became red, flowing like rivers along a path until the entire symbol he had drawn tinted the room crimson. He continued to chant the same prayer over and over again and each time the symbol pulsed brighter and the electricity in the room grew until finally white light began to glow from the sarcophagus and Yugi seized, grunting in pain as the circle around him grew arms to hold him down. His breathing was sharp and ragged, he couldn't speak but he gritted his teeth, clenched his fists and squinted in concentration before picking up the chant again, one last time before the arms released him and the white light pulsed brightly, temporarily blinding them uuntil it died down.

Yugi relaxed, panting and sinking to his knees. Atem could feel his exhaustion, like his energy had been ripped from him. The gravity he felt was intense, like weights had been tied to him and threatened to pull him beneath the earths surface. Atem was on the brink of panic, worried for his well being and if he should continue. The moment had lasted only seconds but in those seconds Yugi's life energy had been robbed of such vitality that he feared he might pass out.

"Th-thats … that part… done." Yugi pantied with much effort.

"Yugi you said earlier that the body should last a few days without a soul right? You don't have to do the next part right away, rest." Atem urged him.

He shook his head no as he shakily got to his feet, holding his hands out for balance as the world tipped and spun on him.

"No. The sooner we do this, the higher the chance your body will accept you. Besides… I don't have all day to do this." Yugi said breathlessly.

"Yugi…" Atem muttered quietly. He was so worried for him but they had come so far now and Yugi was determined… it was now or never. He knew this. "Whats next?"

"I need you to go within your soul room and stay there. You can listen in, even watch, but I need you to be within your room or part of you may stay with me." Yugi said.

Atem nodded, touching his cheek and kissing his forehead before retreating back to his room. Yugi appreciated the warmth greatly. He felt awfully cold now and even though he couldn't feel Atem's touch he could feel his affection and trust keeping his flame lit.

He approached the sarcophagus, knife in hand and touched Atem's body. The flesh filled the bandages and covered what was once exposed bone and skin. His body now held form and ever so slightly he felt the heartbeat in his chest. The body was alive but there was no soul within to keep it that way. He didn't have a lot of time before his body would shut down but he was glad that it worked. His body was here, alive and ready.

He took the knife, cut open the bandages across his face to free his nose and mouth so he could breath and loosened the bandages around his arms and chest before returning back to the circle to begin the next round of chanting.

This verse focused on praying to Anubis and the various gods of life and death and fertility. He begged them to aid him, to see his worth and devotion and recognise his humility. He told them he had been granted power over life and now sought to sew anew a soul that wished to reunite with its form. He asked them to open the way so that a travel once walked may be walked upon again and as he begged Anubis and Amun-Ra to see him he felt their hands surrounding him, blanketing him in white light and warmth.

He felt a clearing ahead of him like a parting of the waves and soon he felt Atem being carried away from him. He was calm, as if he had been soothed and once he had left his mind, his connection severed sharply, like a stabwound to his heart. Amun-Ra held Atem before him, sleeping soundly in the embrace of white light while Anubis stood behind him, a scythe to his throat, challenging his resolve.

He continued the chant, unwavering from their movements and determined to see this through and once they asked for the souls name, he told them strongly and with such fire and bravery that Anubis removed his scythe from him and granted Atem to sit his last test: would he be accepted by his body.

Amun-Ra set him down carefully over his body and as he joined with it a white light pulsed again, softly dimming to nothingness as the gods departed. The way between them was still open and until his body accepted him it would remain that way… all he needed to do now… was wait for it to close before he could move from this spot.

A long minute passed and soon he felt the connection snap… he was free to breathe again, free to move. The ritual was over and complete and Atem was safe within his own body. It worked.

Just in time too as the door opened, allowing Tea and Joey inside.

"Yugi!" Tea called to him.

"Is it over?" Joey asked as they cautiously approached.

"It's … done. Ch-check on him." Yugi said as he fell forward. He crumbled to the floor like his legs became paper. It was difficult to breathe and even more difficult to stay awake. He was drifting in and out of consciousness for a short while. One moment he'd be spoken to by Tea and the next she was telling Joey what to do.

"Atem needs to… go in the crate." Yugi whispered.

"He's safe Yugi. Joey's putting the -" She trailed off as the world became black again. "Yugi?"

"Hmm?" Yugi responded, barely awake. Time had passed again… he was in serious need of sleep… if they didn't leave now they'd have a tough time explaining this.

"Stay with us okay. The fakes in the sarcophagus and Joey's just washed down the chalk. The items are in the crate with Atem and he's safe and secure. Is that all?" Tea asked him.

"Mhmm." Yugi nodded.

"Okay lets go." Joey said as he pushed the crate with a trolly.

"Yugi needs rest, he can barely stand." Tea said sternly.

"Yug, come on. You can do this. Just a little more buddy and you can sleep all you like." Joey urged him gently, picking him up to make him stand. He swayed but pushed himself just a little more to try and look somewhat convincing. He wouldn't need to appear lively… he just needed to be not unconscious until he got to the car.

"We good?" Tristan asked as Joey closed the passenger door behind him.

"Yep. Let's go."

With that Tristan brought the car to life, the engine purring eagerly as they drove carefully and inconspicuously out of the museum carpark.

"Guys, Yugis burning up." Tea said worriedly as the touched his forehead.

"I'm okay… just get us home." Yugi said firefly. His cheeks were on fire, his ribs were stinging and his body ached. He hadnt expected more than fatigue but then he no longer had Atems soul within him to give him strength from his existing injuries.

Atem… He wished he had the energy to check on him himself. He trusted his friends and their assessment of him but he did want to see him for himself.

His phone began to buzz then and Tea slipped it out from his pocket to answer for him.

"Grandpa, it's Tea." She said before she was cut off. "What? Wait… what have you done?! Where? … let him go! Leon? Leon?!" Her voice was panicked.

"What's happening?"

"Leons got grandpa. He's waiting for us at home. He says he won't hurt him unless Yugi returns home now."

"Well we're going there so let's go kick his ass." Joey said vigorously.

"Get grandpa and take Atem to safety. Let me handle Leon." Yugi struggled to say.

"No offence dude but your barely conscious yourself." Tristan pointed out.

"Tristans right. There's no way were leaving you to fight that guy on your own. Not in that condition."

"Guys I'll have the items. I need my family safe. Please."

"Yugi you just brought someone back from the dead. Let us help you." Tea said, gently touching his hand in the hopes her touch would console him.

"New plan. We distract him long enough to get Grandpa out of there and then we bail." Tristan suggested.

"You keep the car running, tea and I will go in with Yug and get Grandpa." Joey confirmed.

"Guys…" Yugi whispered. He was so tired. Now wasnt the time to be blacking out but he couldnt follow the conversation anymore. He was so tired.


	29. 29

The gravity of sleep lifted from him, slowly ushering in his awareness of his surroundings. He felt something soft slide across his skin as he stretched, his bones and muscles aching from being in the same position for so long. But once he had satisfied his body's need to be moved he cracked open his eyes, rubbing his face from any trace of sleep or fatigue and as he became more alert he instantly shot up, eyes darting around him and heart racing.

He was alive… awake… and in Yugi's room. He looked to his hands to see the tan of his skin, the length of his fingers and then to his arms to see the muscles his partner lacked. He was definitely not in control of Yugi's body… which meant he was in his own… it worked. He was alive.

Looking around the room was darkened. The blind over the sky window had been drawn but cracks of sunlight broke through to paint lines on the walls. The house was silent but that didnt mean no one was home. Clothes were folded neatly on Yugis desk with all his jewellery and a small note that read "Good your awake, i hope your feeling okay. These are for you. I hope they fit." In both English and Egyptian. It wasn't Yugi's handwriting though, it was neater... Grandpa perhaps?

He smiled at the gesture and graciously took the clothes left for him.

They were bought new for him but they fit perfectly, even as he stared at himself for longer than he realised in the mirror. The clothes were fine but his skin was so much more real than he expected. He remembered his tan and the length of his hair, the deepness of his eyes and strength of his body but seeing him stand on his own two legs and move his body as he wanted it to was so foreign to him. He spent so much time running his fingers through his hair and looking at the pores of his skin, memorizing the details of his body that he was sure an hour had passed since he had awoken and he still couldn't believe this was real. Even pinching his skin and lightly slapping his cheeks wouldn't wake him from this dream.

Excitement welled within him and quickly he eagerly left to find Yugi and Grandpa. Surely one of them were home.

The house was quite though. Yugis office was empty, no one was in the kitchen or in the living room. It was midday so it was probable Yugi wasn't home but Grandpa would be minding the shop but as he came down the stairs he was surprised to find Joey tapping boredly on the counter, seemingly minding the shop.

He cleared his throat nervously and his tired expression changed to one of pure happiness upon seeing him, completely freeing him of his nerves.

"Atem! Buddy your awake! How do ya feel man?" Joey asked happily, coming over to touch his arms and his cheeks, running his hand through his hair as if just making sure he was actually real. Atem more or less did the same to him, allowing himself to realise this was actually happening.

"I feel fine. More than fine, i feel alive. I cant accurately describe this feeling but its good. Im not sore or tired, just perhaps a little spaced. I still cant get over that im actually alive. My body feels oddly rejuvenated like everything i feel is a brand new sensation im still comprehending."

"You look great! Do you need a drink or something to eat? I remember Yug saying…" he started trail off then which immediately switched on the alarm bells… he had wondered why he was minding the shop. Where was he?

"Where is Yugi? Is he okay?"

"Yugs… in hospital. He's in some kind of coma. Grandpa's with him now, which is why I'm here. Tristan, Tea and I have been taking turns minding the house while Grandpa's not here for when you woke up."

"Coma…" Atem whispered almost inaudibly. His heart dropped like a weight, making his knees weak. He had to hold onto the bench just to keep from falling and he ignored Joey's vain attempt to catch him.

"Woah buddy. Maybe you should sit down, you've been through a lot after all."

"Yugi… is this … because of…"

"No. It's not do with the ritual. I mean it didn't help but no. Sit down, I'll close up and explain." Joey said as he helped him steady himself.

He didn't go far, he simply sat on the stairs as Joey turned the sign and locked the door.

"What happened?" Atem asked him.

"He was exhausted from the ritual. But I reckon even if he hadn't been he'd still be in this condition, so don't go blamin yourself for dis. We were coming home from the museum, this was straight after the ritual. Leon was here with Grandpa, holding him hostage."

"Leon!" Atem growled in disbelief. He did this to Yugi? He knew it… They shouldn't have gone through with this when they did, not with Leon on the prowl.

"Yeah. He wanted Yugi so he used Grandpa to get him to leave the museum. We were already on our way home anyway but he didn't know that. I don't know what he did, but when we got here he gave Grandpa up, pushed us out of the house with some freaky force of magic o his and then everything inside went all purple and dark, electricity was going nuts… we don't know what happened in there but when it was over both of them were on the ground. Yugi was completely unconscious and Leon was trying to wake him up… he was crying… he apologised to us, told us he understood everything now and he regretted everything he had done to Yugi. He told us he was heavily influenced by an evil spirit but now it was gone and he feared for Yugi. He passed out after that and we took them both to hospital. They're both in coma's at the moment. Leon's malnourished and exhausted but most of his condition seems to be mental trauma… Yugi's just unresponsive. The doctors aren't sure whats wrong with him… all they can do is monitor him and keep him on life support."

"An evil spirit… so Leon's not trying to kill him anymore. I mean if he wasn't in a coma right now."

"I don't think so. I mean we're still hesitant to believe it but he seemed honest about it."

"How long has it been?"

"3 days."

"3 … can I see him?" Atem asked absent mindedly. "I mean… no. You're busy. I can wait."

"It's fine pal. Grandpa said I can close if we're not busy and you wake up. Let me get the keys and we'll go see em. Tea's with grandpa at the moment." Joey said kindly.

"Thank you." Atem said sweetly.

He felt incredibly sad right now. He was hoping that Yugi would be okay, that everything would have been fine. Yugi was so confident and sure that everything would have been fine and in a way, he supposed it was. If what Joey said was true then the ritual went off without a hitch and had Leon not attacked then he would have been fine… it's just he didn't have the strength left to defend himself against him… he was left vulnerable and Leon took the opportunity to strike… he was just thankful that he was alive somewhat.

When they arrived they were greeted by Tea outside Yugis room who was quietly excited to see Atem, hugging him tightly and breathing in his scent, squeezing his arms and touching his face.

"You're so real." She giggled as her fingers brushed against the baby spikes on his jaw line.

"I'm still getting used to it myself. How are you?"

"I'm fine. Joey tell you what happened?"

"He did."

"Still nothing?" Joey asked.

She shook her head sadly.

"No. It's like he's just being kept alive. I just wish we could speak to him." Tea said.

"We can speak to him. Maybe if hears Atems voice he'll wake up." Joey suggested optimistically. They knew it was unlikely but they appreciated the thought.

Grandpa greeted Atem warmly when they went inside, shaking his hand respectfully and smiling brightly. He looked so calm considering Yugi behind him hooked up to various machines.

"I'll give you guys a moment. I need to go find the cafeteria. Can I get anyone anything?" He asked everyone.

"I'll come with." Joey said happily and the two left them.

Atem stood beside him. His skin was pale and his cheeks appeared hollow. The mask over his face breathed for him and his brow furrowed in either discomfort or pain or fear or some other kind of sensation he was unable to communicate to them. There was no eye movement, no twitching… just the repetitive and even breathing of the machine and the quiet beeping of the monitors nearby.

The hand closest to him had a heart monitor on his finger and tube fed water into him to keep him hydrated. He wanted to touch him but he feared it. He feared hurting him, he feared not feeling him there, he feared what would happen if his touch made his condition worse.

"You can touch him." Tea said sweetly as she took his hand gently to place onto Yugis.

His skin was cold but oddly felt so real… the only times he had actually touched Yugi was within his mind; even when Yugi came through the puzzle to help him reclaim his memories that too had been spiritual despite how real it felt. But this… this was the first time he was actually touching him and Yugi was comatosed.

He felt the tears threatening to fall and he quickly pulled his hand back to catch them.

"Hey…" Tea said gently to him, rubbing his back and shoulders to comfort him.

"I'm sorry. I just want him back. I can't help but feel responsible for this." Atem said, his voice hoarse as he held his tears back.

"You're not responsible for this at all Atem. That evil spirit is to blame for all of this." Tea said.

"I know but if we didnt go through with this then maybe he'd still be here-"

"And maybe we would have lost you… for good… again. We don't know what could have happened but for all we know it could have been worse. Yugi will wake up, you'll see. And when he does we'll all be together again."

Her words touched him. They felt weak but he appreciated them all the same. He knew she was right … but he couldn't help but take on the responsibility that he might have been able to prevent this.


	30. 30

That night Tristan, Tea, Joey and Mai slept over at Yugi's place to keep Atem company and help transition him without Yugi. He found it more lonely than he thought it would be but then no one anticipated Yugi would be hospitalised either. He missed him so much, more than he could say. He wanted to express their relationship to them but without Yugi there he found himself without the strength to do so.  
He was normally so collected, so strong… but without Yugi he felt like a husk. Even as his body now breathed and moved on its own for the first time 3000 years he felt hollow without his other half. He just wanted him back. He wished there was something he could do to speed his recovery.

He sat with Tea for most of the night, or rather she chose to sit with him. She hovered like a mother hen but at this moment Atem actually appreciated it. Before when he lost Yugi he felt overwhelming guilt; now he just felt lonely with a tad of guilt on the side. He appreciated that she was watching him like a hawk, it made him feel a bit less cold. Everyone else was playing games, lightening the mood and generally just trying to distract him with a good time. It worked for the most part but his mind often wondered.

It was getting late now and there had been no word from the hospital… which meant Yugi still hadn't woken and his condition was unchanged. He supposed no change was better than a worse one so he should be thankful for that.

They were getting ready to go to bed, laying out their sleeping rolls in the living room but Atem couldn't sleep. He was tired but his mind raced. He kept trying to figure out what the spirit could have done to him but he knew nothing of what happened. It was impossible to figure out with the knowledge they had and this was beyond frustrating.

He was about to roll over and try to sleep for the 3rd time when he heard the bell of the shop door ring… someone had opened the door… but it was locked. Was someone breaking in? Or had it been the wind?

He carefully stood up and listened until he heard the door quietly click closed. It was definitely not the wind.

He crept over to Joey and Tristan, gently nudging them awake and putting a finger to their lips to make them quiet.

"Someone came through the front door." Atem whispered to them. They woke up properly then, quietly getting up and careful not to wake the girls as they crept downstairs.

The lights were off and they could barely see anything but as they reached the corner they waited for the intruder to reach the last rise when Joey jumped him, pushing him hard against the wall and easily lifting him off the ground.

"Alright who are ya? What are you doin here!" Joey asked angrily as Tristan turned on the torch to reveal Yugi trying to breath under Joey's arm at his throat.

"Yugi!" They exclaimed in sheer shock and immediately Joey let him go. He landed on his feet, leaning on the wall behind him as he nursed his throat.

"Dude what are you doing here?"

"Why didn't the hospital call?"

"Why didn't you call?"

"Are you okay?" Joey and Tristan swamped him with questions until he finally met their gazes.

"I'm fine… I didn't expect you all here waiting to ambush me." Yugi said in annoyance. His eyes locked onto Atem and all sense of anything else he might have felt was replaced with an obvious void of shock but to their surprise was quickly replaced with a strange sense of understanding.

"I see… so his memories are true then." Yugi said to himself. He ignored them and continued further into the house, turning the light on to the living room and stirring the girls from their slumber.

"Huh?"

"Yugi?"

"Everyone's here… no matter." Yugi said quietly.

Something was very wrong… Atem knew immediately whoever this was was not Yugi but it seemed to take longer for everyone else to realise this.

"Yugi what's going on? Are you okay man?"

"I won't be long. I just came to pick up a few items. Where are they?" Yugi asked them.

"The Millenium items?"

Yugi nodded.

"They're.-" Atem cut Joey off, touching his chest to make him quiet.

"Who are you?" Atem asked him.

Yugi focused on him, looking him up and down with a smug smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.

"Astute as always Pharoah. I wasn't trying very hard to conceal it though. Lets see if you still have your memories. I've seen things only those 3000 years old would have seen."

Atem hesitated. He had a feeling he knew who this was, his dark energy was familiar to him now but he didn't understand how it could be him.

"Bakura?"

Yugi clapped slowly in sarcasm, giggling to himself in amusement. "Well done Pharoah. I see it's not just your body that's returned this time."

"Bakura!"

"How?"

"Get out of him Bakura!" Everyone else ordered quickly.

"I'm sorry but that's not happening. You see I've attached myself very firmly to his soul, I'm not going anywhere without his assistance or without causing him very serious harm. If you want to see me disattached to him then you need him to cooperate with me." Yugi shrugged.

Joey grabbed his collar roughly but Yugi's smug grin told him he feared nothing, not even the threat to punch him.

"Go ahead and beat me out of him… you'll only be hurting Yugi's body and let me tell you, he's seen better days. You know all about this Pharoah am I correct? He's got injuries since before I entered his body and the stress he's been under since hasn't been kind to him."

"Joey let him go. He's right." Atem said grudgingly. Joey let him go much to Yugi-Bakuras pleasure.

"What are you doing Bakura? How are you even back?" Tristan asked.

"Yeah didn't we defeat you last time when you tried to beat Atem in the … past?" Joey asked.

"Ive had 3000 years to plan my revenge on the Pharoah, dont think i didnt account for any possible outcome. What you defeated was all but a small part of me the Pharoah had sealed away within the Puzzle alongside his own soul. I rejoined with that part to take him down but during the thousands of years i had wondering around I left a small part of me hidden away, dormant until it could be recovered."

"Wait… that's what Leon found in Syria? Isn't it?" Tea asked.

"The archaeologist? Yes. He discovered me and through my investigation into his mind I found he had a friendship with Yugi. After my own research I concluded that the Pharoah had moved on, leaving Yugi the only one annoying enough to get in my way. So I planted a fake image inside Leons mind to get him to kill him. But you got in my way… again." Bakura said sternly to Atem.

"The pleasure was mine." Atem growled.

"I needed some time to watch and it seems while Leon was stalling, Yugi was scheming to bring you back completely. I had intended to kill him 3 days ago but when he arrived unprotected and a great deal weaker I saw fit to invade his mind instead and what a decision that was. It turns out he has the ability to bring people back from the dead as far as 3000 years ago and I intend to make use of that before I rid this world of him and you Pharoah."

"What Yugi needed to do bring me back like this was a huge strain on him and required very precise planning. We aren't going to just let you use him like this and nor will he agree to help you Bakura." Atem snapped.

"He doesn't have a choice. Unless he wants to spend the rest of his life with me I'm not going anywhere." Bakura shrugged.

"Get out of him Bakura! Go back into the ring or something!" Tristan barked at him.

"Would that I could boy but unlike the other parts of my soul you sent to the Shadow with Zorc, I require a living host now that I've been woken. Besides you've neglected to tell me where they are thus far, which might I add, i believe Yugi will need if we are to reclaim my old body." Bakura said smugly. He had the upper hand and he knew it. They couldn't hurt him, nor could they force him out and so long as he held Yugi hostage there was nothing they could do except deny him the items.

"Let us speak to Yugi. He is in there, right?" Tea asked.

Bakura frowned, seemingly not listening to them anymore as he scowled at the space beside him, becoming increasingly annoyed. Was he talking to Yugi? Was this what it was like for everyone else when Yugi would speak to him?

"Bakura tell us. Is Yugi okay?" Joey demanded.

"He's alive and just as annoying as you are Blondie. I honestly don't know how you handled his incessant nagging Pharoah." He sighed though and pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. Atem had to smirk just a little… He was glad Yugi was getting on his nerves. "I can let him out to convince you we need the items but he won't last long. Believe it or not but my involvement right now is keeping him alive. He still needs my soul to give his body enough time to heal without me. So ill be taking over again when hes done. I need him alive for a while longer yet." Bakura said shortly before Yugi gasped and collapsed. Joey caught him and safely lowered him to the ground as he blinked and squinted through his weakness.

"Yugi?" Tea asked cautiously. Everyone looked on in bated breath until finally Yugi nodded as he steadied his breathing. They cheered came over, crowding him to get closer when Joey held his hand to them.

"Don't crowd him too much. You don' look so good Yug."

"I…. I've been better." Yugi said breathlessly.

Atem's heartstrings pulled sharply. He hated how hurt he was and he hated even more that he needed to rely on Bakura right now instead of him. He appreciated what Yugi did for him but he still wished to be helping him.

"Yugi…" He said quietly, crouching down to be closer to him.

Yugi looked up to him, blinked in surprise and smiled brightly. Any sign that he had been dying slowly was replaced with happiness upon seeing him, his eyes sparkling and his rosy cheeks inviting him in. His happiness warmed him, even momentarily dulling his worry.

"You look great! I'm so happy it worked, how do you feel?" Yugi asked.

"Worried, annoyed, a strong sense of protection but I myself am perfectly fine thanks to you." Atem said sweetly, ending with a gentle smile.

Yugi nodded and sighed.

"Bakura's right. I've been spending god knows how long fighting with him for control but in the end my body is at it's limit. It pains me to admit but right now I need him to stay alive. He may be the reason why I'm currently on borrowed time but it is what it is. He intends to use me to get his body back no matter how much I think it's impossible but regardless on what he intends to do, I need him if I want to stay alive. If I didn't need him at all, I'd be looking into ways of expelling him but as long as he's in charge, going to Egypt with the items is what we're going to do.

Guys… this sucks but I want you there with him. Don't give him the items, but take them with you to Egypt. I have enough on my work account to pay for ticket for all of you. Atem's going to need an ID, talk to Bec, she's got connections she can arrange something for him.

Please… I need you to do as he says. Keep the items on your person, follow him and just try to help him while I can't. And Atem, Joey… try not to kill him. He's an asshole and he will try to provoke you just please remember that it's still me in here. I can hurt him from in here just as much as you can, I'll try to keep him reeled in."

"You don't have to warn us Yugi. I'm sorry this is happening. Bakura should have been taken care of years ago. My enemy is now using you for his selfish ends and it's putting you at more risk than ever. I am so sorry." Atem said.

"It's okay. I don't blame you at all Atem… besides in a way… if it weren't for him you wouldn't be here… and that thought alone drives him crazy." Yugi said sweetly.

"So you want us to do as he says?" Tristan asked.

"Please. I don't know how long this will take though so if you can't come to Egypt then please don't put yourselves out. But I would like someone to go with Atem. I know you'll be going regardless and I'd feel a lot better if you weren't left alone with him."

"Joey will go! I would in a heartbeat but I think someone should stay and make sure Leon doesn't act up on us." Mai said.

"Of course I'll go but Mai are you sure?" Joey asked her. She nodded, touching his cheek and smiling.

"Yes. Besides hot deserts aren't my thing. I know you'll take care of Yugi and defeat Bakura back to where he belongs. You've got this hun." She said.

"I'll come of course." Tea said.

"Yeah I can put the shop off for a few days." Tristan agreed.

"This might take longer than a few days. The toughest bit about this is finding Bakura's body… if it still exists…"

"Still exists?" They all asked at once to which Yugi sighed, more from fatigue than annoyance though.

"He was a criminal back when he was alive, a master thief. He desecrated a Pharoah's tomb, robbed royalty, attempted assassination of Atem: the new Pharoah and tried to destroy Egypt so he could claim the throne for himself. Atem defeated him but his body survived after that and he wasn't exactly given a burial… that's why he stuck around. He didn't get taken by Osiris to the underworld, he didn't move on… he was stuck here because he wasn't given a burial… consequently he's therefore had 3000 years worth of weather erosion and god knows what else… I highly doubt it's even recognizable as a body but when he's in control he insists he can sense it...like a beacon. That's what we'll be trusting." Yugi explained tiredly. His eyes were getting heavier and the way he hunched his shoulders suggested he was getting weaker and weaker the longer he stayed in control. They'd need to end this soon and talk with Bakura again. Atem wanted so badly to get inside his mind and put Bakura in his place, or at the very least be his font of strength instead.

"I see. We'll help Bakura find his remains then Yug but what then? I mean you're not actually going to give him his body back are you?" Joey asked.

"Not until I don't need him anymore. I can't do the ritual like this… I know how strong it is now, if I were to attempt it I would die before I even finished reviving his body. He knows I need him to stay alive and he knows he needs me breathing… for now we're working together. I do intend to bring him back...if anything so you guys can put him back down. For good." Yugi said.

"Oh I see!" Joey said, punching his fist cleverly.

"So we play along only to end his little game on our terms." Tristan clarified.

"He does know our intentions but once he has his own body we're on our own. He will likely try to steal the items away from you guys… essentially he realises the only thing he needs is my knowledge and the items… in his eyes he doesn't need any of you. I need you to be careful with them and be mindful of where he is. I'm working with him but I don't trust him at all. Keep them on your person, each of you.. Their power should be able to protect you against his magic… the same magic he made Leon use on me." Yugi explained further.

"Right. Don't worry Yug, we got this." Joey said confidently.

"Yeah we'll play along and when it comes down to it, we'll kick his butt together." Tea said confidently.

"Mai… if you're staying here, could I trouble you to check on Grandpa from time to time please?" Yugi asked.

"Of course. No problem." Mai said with a wink.

"You're going soon… aren't you?" Atem asked him quietly.

Yugi touched his hand and squeezed it affectionately. "I'll be hanging around. You won't see me but I'll be here. Don't worry… I trust you guys completely. Trust me too keep him in check."

"I trust you Yugi, that's why we'll do as he says… but I know the toll on your body is great and Bakura isn't known for taking care of his hosts." Atem said gently.

"The sooner we find what remains of his body, the sooner he'll be interested in making sure I'm taken care of. If he wants this to succeed, I need to be at my peak and he knows this."

"Okay."

"So when do we leave for Egypt?" Joey asked.

"I won't be allowing him to go anywhere until Atem has a secure way to travel. He knows I'm willing to put myself at risk until this happens so I need you guys to contact Bec. Check the timezones, check my phone. I have several contacts for her, one of them is bound to get her. I need her to make this a priority. You have my permission to explain to her exactly what's going on. Only after Atem has right to travel are you guys to use my card and accounts to get a flight to Cairo." Yugi said.

"Got it." Joey said confidently.

"What do you mean putting yourself at risk?" Mai asked.

"He's been clawing away to get my attention for a while now. Truth be told I shouldn't be in control but I'm keeping him at bay. This is my body after all. He can force himself inside, he can even shut me out but as long as this belongs to me I can take control when I want to. I did it with Atem once, I'll be doing it again with Bakura if I need to."

"You did it with Atem?" Tea asked.

"With the Orichalcos. He forced himself back into control so that I wouldn't be taken. As long as his body is his, Yugi has overall authority over it." Atem explained. "In saying that Yugi, as much as we want you to stay I don't want you putting yourself at any more risk."

"I know. I've explained all I need to. Please keep the items and yourselves safe. I'll do what I can, just do as he says and be careful. We'll talk again soon." Yugi said. "Oh… Atem… this might.. Take some time. If there's anything that needs explaining you have my permission to do so." Yugi said to him with a wink. He nodded, smiling warmly. With that Yugi sighed, closed his eyes and quickly took in a sharp breath, stretching out his neck and shoulders before looking around at everyone around him. This was Bakura again… Yugi would be nearby, hovering like he used to but before him was Bakura. He stood and walked away to lean on the wall, arms folded as he watched Bakura stand.

"So he's explained to you what you need to know?" Bakura asked.

"Bakura...right?" Tea asked.

"What gave it away?"

"Listen Bakura we know what you want the items for. Yugi explained everything to us. We're going to help you for as long as we need to but you're not going anywhere without us. We'll be handling the items, you just lead the way and stay quiet, got it?" Joey threatened.

"Leading the way I can do fine but you can be damned if I'll keep quiet. Now since he won't leave without his boyfriend why don't you get started and getting our dear Pharoah what he needs to travel?" Bakura said smugly.

No one seemed to notice that Bakura had called him his boyfriend which was good but he knew that meant Bakura knew more than he liked. It was possible he had the opportunity to explore Yugis memories… He hated how invasive this was to his privacy.

Still, the comment went unnoticed and Tea took Yugis phone from him and began searching through his contacts. He hoped it wouldn't take long to get anything he needed to travel.


	31. 31

Touching down in Cairo and leaving the airport was smooth enough. They insisted on staying near Bakura no matter how often he attempted to keep some distance from them. Though during the flight he seemed to find some sick pleasure in making Atem jealous by flirting with Tea. In the end Joey and Tristan sat on either side of him while Tea sat close to Atem instead. This happened only after Bakura had placed his hand on her lap, forcing Yugi to take control and excuse himself to the bathroom for a while.

Once they were free of too many rushing people they set out to hire a jeep using Yugis position as an archaeologist to search the deserts but as Tristan would be driving Bakura was forced to agree to rest at a hotel for the night.

He had suggested going on ahead, that he didnt need the rest but he couldnt deny that the sooner Yugis body rested the sooner he could be free of him.

They were at the checkout deciding on rooms when Bakura thought to be cheeky again, suggesting that he and the Pharoah share a private room together but much to Atems frustration with him they agreed to get two rooms: one for Tristan and Tea and the other for Bakura, Atem and Joey.

So now it was sunset. They had had dinner and were settling down, ready to rest after the journey theyve had. From their balcony Atem looked out over Egypt the same way he had done as Pharoah. He could see much less now than he had back then, but the sunset offered a spectacular view of the pyramids and the vast desert beyond the river. This brought back memories… coupled with Bakura sharing the same room as them he felt saddened that he wasn't sharing this sight with Yugi.

"You're out of your time Pharoah." Bakura said beside him, startling him from his thoughts. He dared not show it though, merely frowning in annoyance. All day he had been getting under his skin for sheer enjoyment. He couldn't wait to be rid of the wretch once and for all.

"What do you want Bakura?" Atem growled.

"Simply to bask in our countries light same as you. Before long I'll be able to feel it's warmth on my own skin once again. And when that day comes I'll finally have nothing weighing me down or getting in my way, I'll be able to end you and your little counterpart and reclaim this land for my own."

"How do you intend to accomplish that? This land isn't governed by Pharoah's anymore and nor do they bow down to our gods. They won't accept a nobody like you demanding power. And thats exactly what you will be Bakura, nobody. Just like I technically am."

"A fresh start then ey? No one need know of our history Pharoah but a clean start allows us to shape our future. Perfect for a criminal of my calibre wouldn't you say?"

"That's if we don't put you down first."

"We'll see. I understand it took you some time to awaken… I wonder which one of us is stronger. Though, if Yugi's memories serve me correctly, it stands to reason to believe that perhaps I am stronger." Bakura taunted him.

"What does that mean?"

Bakura smirked wickedly using Yugi's innocent own lips and stepped towards him, placing a hand on the rail either side of him to box him in.

"I've seen the way you two interract, your relationship goes beyond mere companionship doesn't it? I wonder, does having this body so close to you turn you on or does it make you writhe? I'm good with either one so long as you squirm-" Bakura said but winced sharply and backed away from him in an instant.

Atem stared at him in confusion, watching as Bakura's face changed to one of absolutely irritation as he stared off into space. Yugi must have been there telling him off.

"It seems you got yourself in trouble. Don't think because you're in control that it's just the two of us Bakura." Atem said smugly.

Bakura tsk'd in annoyance before wincing again. He wasn't sure what Yugi was doing to him but it worked like an electric shock. He seemed to give in though and walked away without a word.

Sighing he relaxed somewhat. He was glad Yugi was still around, even if he couldn't see or speak to him. He couldn't wait for this to be over and they could finally be together.

"Hey… what was that?" Joey asked as he came to join him.

"He was getting a bit too close so I think Yugi put him in his place." Atem shrugged.

"Well he's locked himself in the bathroom now. The window in there is too small for even Yug to climb through. Are you okay?"

"Yes… the sooner this is over the better."

"I agree. It creeps me out knowing thats not Yug in there. I can't believe we're actually helping Bakura get his body back."

"If it's any consolation we're not doing this for him, we're doing this for Yugi."

"Yeah… speaking of… Bakura's been making these obscure comments…"

Atem blinked, blushed and then smiled to himself. He hadn't told them yet despite getting permission from Yugi… he wanted to wait for him regardless but he supposed now was as good a time as any.

"Yes… Bakura has a way with words. As awful a person as he is one thing that we can't deny is he's honest. There's truth behind his jibes. We wanted to tell everyone together but with how things have been…shortly before Yugi gave me my body back our relationship grew to something more. We're closer than ever and yet right now, incredibly far apart. I want to get him back, of course I do… but there are more reasons than just making sure he's not in the clutches of evil. I want him back because I want to be with him, together, as partners and perhaps more. I want to spend the rest of my life with him as something more than just close friends."

"Ohhhh…. Wow! I had no idea you two were dat close! I mean it makes sense but wow… congrats man! Yugi did well to keep this a secret. Before you got your body back? You mean… when you were a spirit still you and he … ummm… You know…"

"...Yes… I won't go into details but we are very very close." Atem blushed deeply but so did Joey at the thought. He laughed nervously as he brushed his hair back.

"Well grats man. Don't worry, even if you two weren't a thing we'll be doing everything we can to get our little man back."

"Right."


	32. 32

The next day Tristan drove them across the sea of sand in a jeep foolishly designed with no cover from the scorching sun above. They wore protective clothing to shield their delicate skin from the anger of the sun god but the heat was stifling even in a moving car.

Yugi … or Bakura as it was and Atem were unphased by the heat, much to Tea's and Joey's dismay.

They had packed water, sunscreen, a medical kit and various supplies under the real Yugi's advice and with his account he was able to secure some equipment he would need from the Cairo university. Perks of being a well respected Archaeologist.

The roar of the engine was drowned by the hissing of the wind and the sand blowing past them threatened to scratch and tear at their skin. They spent most of the trip hiding behind their linen masks and protecting one another from the elements as Bakura had insisted they drive quickly. He sat at the front with him, for once opting for silence as he honed in on his body's location. Atem kept a close watch on him, choosing to sit behind him where he could monitor him closer.

They drove for hours over rises and falls as the dunes seemingly danced with them, bopping like actual waves in the ocean. They were far from any city, any ruins, any landmarks when their car began to slow to a halt. The sand died down, all was still save for the hawks overhead, searching for small rodents or snakes to hunt.

"Out of gas already?" Tea complained.

"Thats why we brought extra. Gimme a minute to fill her up." Tristan said as he jumped over his door to retrieve the gasoline tanks hidden beneath layers of cover to keep them cool.

"We're getting close." Bakura said quietly.

"How can you tell?" Joey asked.

Bakura ignored him, choosing to leave the vehicle and stretch his legs. Atem followed him. He walked over the rise of the next dune, far enough from the car that they would need to shout when they were ready but they would not be going far. He could feel it. Another hour perhaps at that pace … he was so close now he could taste it. But even when they find it, Yugi's body was still weak. Yugi could probably live now in control but the ritual would kill him… he needed more time.

'Once we have your body if it still exists, we may be able to transport it somewhere closer to civilisation. If it still exists.' Yugi said to him.

"Bakura." Atem warned as he approached. He stood beside him, shielding his face from the sun leering down at them. Yugi smiled but Bakura was annoyed by his hovering.

"I'm not going far. You might as well wait by the car Pharoah. Let us talk in peace." Bakura hissed.

"If I recall your home town isn't far from here. My soldiers would have abandoned you where you lay unless directed otherwise. Most criminals were given rights to descend with Anubis but if what Yugi says is true then you weren't." Atem said plainly.

"What of it?"

"Your body was recovered wasn't it? Taken back and buried properly by your soldiers, correct?"

"I guess we'll find out, won't we?" Bakura said as he spun on his heel to leave him there.

'Bakura if he's right… you better not be putting my friends in danger just to recover your body. If your body is in a tomb -'

"What are you going to do Yugi? You are the one who wanted your friends here, not me. I was happy to retrieve the materials you needed and leave. You are the one who brought them here." Bakura snapped at him.

An hour and a half they drove for before they reached the ruin town of Kul Elna. They drove to a stop in the middle of the ruins where Bakura lead them further inside.

Atem had been here before but back then this was before it had been destroyed. He was only a child and this was only a short time before the items were created. Bakura was older than he was…. He wondered if he had seen him visit… though he would have only been a child as well.

"Where is this place?" Joey asked.

"It's in the open but it doesn't look like anyone's been here in ages. Yugi, has anyone researched this place?" Tea asked him. She knew he currently Bakura but they all knew Yugi would be floating around.

"This is Kul Elna. My home town 3000 years ago. Do you like what the Pharoah's father has done to the place? I can't say I care much for the silence but the decor is fitting, don't you think?" Bakura asked sarcastically and kept walking.

"Your father? But he didn't -" Tristan trailed of when he saw Atem's downcast eyes and troubled expression.

"My father knew nothing of what would transpire here. He regrets the decision to make the items. Had he known he never would have agreed. But ultimately it was his decision which lead to this." Atem told them.

"Your father should have looked into it himself rather than trusting the words of his advisors. I'd hoped you'd do the opposite but you were just as naive as he."

"You barely gave me the option Bakura, I was Pharoah about a week thanks to you." Atem snapped.

"True… by that stage I had no faith in our leadership or our country. I cared not for our people… much like your father." Bakura taunted. Atem grabbed his wrist in anger, turning him to face him. He wanted to smack him, to silence him and release his frustration but as Yugi's face smirked arrogantly he took to keeping his fists balled at his sides.

"My father cared a great deal about our people Bakura. Every decision he made was for our people's protection-"

"From what? Face it Pharoah your father was a fool led by egotistical fanatics that demanded abuse of their power, that screamed for acknowledgement of the lowly so they might be seen in good light to the gods. Ra forbid if a few sacrifices be made of a small village tucked away. No one would miss the rabel of Kul Elna and if it went noticed, it was an unfortunate loss caused by our 'enemies'. Little did the rest of the populace know that the ones they needed protecting from was the Royalty themselves." Bakura snapped at him loudly before he gasped, wincing away sharply again and taking a step back.

"My father and I did the best we could to protect our people from the neighboring factions rising up around us. Our people were prosperous and safe and with the rising antagonising of the countries surrounding us we needed to do what we could to protect our borders. Sacrificing our people was not an option easily made, nor was it known to my father that that is what would transpire. What happened to your people cannot be undone Bakura but had you been in the same situation you would have made the same call. You were not privy to the information of the royal court. You have no right to decide what our people needed protecting from."

"And when it was learned what it took to create the items what did your father do? Nothing! He divied them out to his court, used them to inspire and instill fear to his people with no regards to what happened here. He didn't even visit or give these people rights and when you ascended the throne, nor did you. You and your father were nothing but pompous, egotistical, naiive-" He winced again, grabbing his head painfully but that didn't stop Atem from grabbing his shirt in anger.

"Atem!" Tea shrieked instantly as Joey and Tristan both moved to separate them. Atem didn't let him go, his eyes ablaze with such fire and intensity it could match the heat of the sun. Bakura's eyes cracked open to look at him but for a moment he was caught off by the soft lavender within them. He hated that Bakura was using his image to shield him and wanted even more to beat him down for it. Joey held his arm and if it wasn't Yugi's body he would have.

"It's me." Yugi breathed.

For a moment Atem held him, searching his eyes for truth when it clicked and he let him go. His anger washed away with fear and concern as Yugi straightened his shirt and rubbed his temples.

"Yugi I'm so sorry." Atem said quickly, helping to straighten him up.

"It's okay. I'm sorry he got so far. I'm giving him some time out to cool down. He's clawing at my mind to get out… he'd love nothing more than to brawl with you right now but I don't want him hurting you." Yugi said softly.

"Yugi…" Atem whispered. He felt awful for holding him like that and looking at him with such anger but he had to remind himself it wasn't Yugi he was mad with and Yugi knew that.

"Welcome back bud, how ya feeling?" Tristan asked him.

"A bit better than before but I wont deny it feels better being a ghost. My body feels a little heavy… he didn't get a lot of sleep last night did he?" Yugi asked.

Atem shook his head no. "No I believe only a couple of hours."

Yugi nodded. "It feels it. So this is Kul Elna."

"Do you know much about it Yug?"

"A bit. A team of Egyptologists excavated this site 3 years ago but they found nothing of import. It's been abandoned since. Any significant history about this village was lost… appropriately so. I know your father meant well Atem, I do believe me. But nowadays to those who don't know any better all we can do is look at the facts; facts are this town was destroyed by decree of the king… a fact only we know. According to the world today no one knows what transpired here. I think thats the point Bakura wanted to make. This town had their lives taken to protect that of their country and no one knew anything about their sacrifice even 3000 years later." Yugi explained.

"I can't change the past Yugi." Atem said sadly. Yugi turned to him, touching his cheek lovingly and getting in front of his gaze.

"I know and I know that you would if you could. You're kind like that." Yugi said to him sweetly. He smiled, his heart dancing from his touch.

Yugi looked back to the town and sighed.

"Bakura's insisting we keep moving. His body should be further in the town."


	33. 33

"This place gives me the creeps." Tea squirmed, holding her arms together despite the sweltering heat.

"I know. Doesn't it feel like there are ghosts watching your every move?" Joey asked, tickling the back of her neck to make her jump and slap him.

"Don't do that!" She snapped.

"Guys. We're walking in a dead town whose souls now reside within the Millenium Items your all wearing. A little respect please." Yugi said sternly.

They came to a well when Yugi stopped.

He walked around it, searching for something unknown to them.

"They didn't just drop it down there did they?" Joey asked.

"Talk about respect." Tristan sneered.

Yugi touched a stone and nearby the sand shifted and stone ground stone, scraping and churning as ancient wooden gears groaned and creaked. A stair case carved itself from the sand, defending deep beneath the town into pitch black nothingness.

"That would be simple." Yugi sighed.

"Be very careful. Follow my steps and do as I say. Torches out." Yugi ordered as he slipped out his phone to use it's torch.

Once in the shade the temperature dropped dramatically. Their sweat almost froze on them, and their skin chilled to form little goosebumps and make their hairs stand on end.

"Damn it's cold in here." Joey said quietly.

"Almost wanna go back into the sun." Tristan agreed.

"Don't get comfortable." Yugi warned.

"Hey Yugi. Is this tomb going to be trapped like Atems was?" Tea asked.

"More than likely. Which is why I'm going first."

"Not that I want Bakuras company but why doesn't he lead the way?" Joey asked.

"He hasn't been here either. Whoever designed this designed it either after he died or designed it before without intention of using it for Bakura. He knows as much as I do: nothing and that his body is here."

"There are no murals, no carvings… most tombs tell the story of those buried within." Atem noted.

"It's possible this tomb was unfinished when they buried Bakura here, or its possible however unlikely that its unadorned because he was a criminal… but if that was the case I doubt he'd have been given a tomb so well hidden."

"Wasn't entirely well hidden though Yug i mean dont you guys use those seismic things?" Joey asked.

"Yes and no one must have used one for the town. It was so desolate and under valued they likely just assumed nothing else was here."

"Doesnt sound very professional." Tristan joked.

"Wasn't my team." Yugi shrugged. He stopped and held a hand up to stop them and they waited. Yugi looked around in place but he appeared to be listening for something. They heard nothing but they trusted Yugi and waited.

"What's wrong?" Tea whispered to him eventually.

"The temperature shifted." Yugi said, crouching down to touch the sand beneath them. He drew in the sand, brushing it away to reveal the unpolished sandstone underneath and laid his hand flat. "We're standing on something hot."

"What could it be?" Tea asked.

"Lava?" Joey asked.

"Magma Joey and no. We aren't deep enough or near a volcano. If i were to venture a guess, ahead of us should be a trigger to open the floor to some kind of brazier pit."

"Well let's not set it off then." Tristan said sarcastically.

"Agreed. Go back a bit." Yugi told them. They did as told but he didn't move. Once they were cleared he took out a small towel he was using for the sand earlier and with quick even twirls moved the sand to reveal a slightly raised stone.

"Don't step there."

Once they were all safely across they continued further on until they came to an ancient Hall. A cracked stone table lay broken in the centre with stone chairs carved into the floors around it. It was perfect for meetings and discussions rather than family gatherings. Whatever this was used for or was supposed to be used for it was not for domestic use. Alcoves in the side housed ancient pots and dead sand while cracked and dusted mirrors hung on the walls. An old hanging Brazier made of iron rested atop the table where it had smashed… sometime after this place was abandoned it must have fallen. There was nothing else here save for two doors at the end of the great Hall.

"Wow. What is this place Yugi?" Tea asked.

"This is a hideout. I don't know how old it is but judging by the brazier id say … 2500 years old… which makes it 500 years younger than Atem and Bakura."

"Wow that's old… uhh, no offence." Tea laughed nervously.

"Non taken." Atem giggled.

"Wait… if it's younger then why is Bakura buried here?" Tristan asked.

"Hey good question."

"I don't know. He was likely moved here. He probably wasn't buried here initially. Unless this is younger than his burial site." Yugi said lazily as he ran his fingers along the stone table.

"We can rest here." He added shortly before making himself comfortable on one of the stone chairs, stretching his legs out and leaning back on the high back of it. He was frowning and breathing harder than he normally did; his energy must have been draining from Him. He hasn't had enough time to recover yet.

Everyone else spread out, either taking seats themselves or looking around with intrigue. Atem touched the back of his hand to Yugis cheeks. His skin was burning against his surprisingly cool hands by comparison and he sighed, moving his face deeper into his hand for relief.

"Your burning up Yugi."

"I know. I'm trying to scare Bakura into behaving."

"I'm sorry you have to deal with him. He is on all accounts my responsibility. No thanks to me your in this mess. From the very beginning to now. I wish there was something else I could do to help take this burden off you."

"Soon enough we'll be rid of him and we can go back home and continue where we left off." Yugi winked at him, though it was difficult to follow his inclination with him appearing so weakened right now. Still he smiled sweetly. "Speaking of, have you told them?"

"I've told Joey. I haven't wanted to say anything in front of Bakura despite him seemingly knowing. I didn't want to give him the pleasure." Atem admitted.

"Yes. I've closed him off to most things but it seems he's been worming his way through more than I'd like. His favourite thing to do is to weaken the locks on my darkest doors. Without you within me the seal you placed on that door is gone, but my own defences are still in play. Still, the longer he's attached to me the weaker I feel them getting. I know I require his energy right now but I almost fear the trade off. I want to do this as quick as possible."

Atem squeezed his hand to lend him his strength, wanting so much to pull his head into his chest to cuddle but he hesitated, mostly because he couldn't shake the feeling Bakura was nearby.

"We're close to his body. Once it's found you just need to rest as long as you need to. You've done this before, i know you can do this again, but you need rest. I know your eager, but please listen to your body for once. If you think your decisions are something I would nag you about then please listen, just this once."

Yugi smiled and nodded, giggling quietly.

"I know. Don't be hasty. Perhaps I'll listen. Let's see how much he can not get on my nerves."


	34. 34

They continued on, Yugi leading the way through various dangerous traps and puzzles and as they went the architecture became older, less designed… more like a dug out tunnel system than a planned tomb.

They finally reached their destination when they came to a large cavern, lined with iron braziers, riches and weapons, chests and jewellery, all Egyptian made. Golden furniture such as chairs, shelves, model boats and animals, fine clothing mostly eaten and decaying… this was a tomb filled with possessions fit for a king, only none of these things belonged to Bakura. He was the thief King… everything here was stolen and buried with him.

"This is incredible." Joey breathed.

"A handful of this stuff would set us up for life." Tristan agreed.

"Guys…" Yugi said sternly. "If any of this is going anywhere it's getting donated to science."

Atem smirked, he was so proud of Yugi.

At the end of the cavern surrounded by piles of gold coins was a stone coffin. No carvings, no writings, no anything… just a stone coffin. That was Bakura's remains. The room was too small to perform the ritual though, they'd need to exhume him and carry him out, at least back to the Hall. He could do with his expedition team about now but he doubted Bakura would wait for them to fly out from Japan.

"Is Bakura's body in there?" Tea asked him.

"Yep. I'm trying to think of how to get him back to the hall."

"Why there?" Tristan asked.

"I'm going to need room to perform the ritual… with all this in here it's too small." Yugi said simply.

He winced then, recoiling back just enough for them to notice.

"Are you okay?" Atem asked him cautiously.

"Yes… he wants out."

They looked to one another, exchanging silent words before Joey and Tristan approached the coffin to try pry the lid off.

"It's okay Yugi. I promise not fight with him. You need your rest right? Let him take over… we'll get his body and prepare an area but you need rest." Atem said to him gently.

Yugi hesitated, searching his eyes but in the end he sighed and agreed. "I'll try to make sure he behaves."

He took in a sharp breath then, slapped Atem's hand away and stood with ease, grinning wickedly in intense excitement.

"Finally. Your boyfriend is a lot stronger than I gave him credit for. I was right to want to kill him. But now at last we're here and I will walk this earth again same as you, Pharoah." Bakura said smugly. Atem paid him no mind, leaving to help his friends with the coffin.

"Yugi's doing you a massive favor Bakura. And so are we. You need us to help you with this. Don't forget that." Tea said to him sternly.

"And you need me to keep little Yugi alive. Don't forget that missy."

They finally managed to drag Bakuras corpse back to the Hall. They needed to wrap him in the old clothes around and drag it back but they managed to bring everything safely.

Now they waited in suspense as Bakura seemingly argued with himself over how to do this and when. He didn't seem to notice that he was talking aloud to spirit Yugi instead of internally but this at least provided some entertainment for them.

From what they could understand Yugi wanted to wait but Bakura was insisting that with his strength he would be fine enough to handle it. Eventually after Bakuras voice was raising in anger Yugi took over, swore in Egyptian and snapped at him in frustration, telling him to fuck himself in Egyptian to which Atem laughed.

"Eeevverything okay, Yug?" Joey asked.

"Yes Joey. It's fine." Yugi snapped angrily before he crouched, hands to his eyes as he rubbed out the frustration and focused on breathing.

"For the love of Ra, shut up." He said eventually, glancing over his shoulder and smacking the air away.

"Okay… I'm not doing this yet but I can at least get it ready if you'll just, be, quiet!" Yugi snapped at the air again. "I swear to Ra when I bring you back Im killing you again myself." He said under his breath.

"Need a hand Yug?" Joey asked him.

"I need a gun Joey…" Yugi sighed.

"Can't help ya there man." Joey said as they came over to him casually.

He sighed and clapped his hands together.

"Okay. I need to draw in the symbols, we need to make some room."

"We're doing this here?" Tristan asked.

"Yes. There should be enough room for everything and the stones easy enough to mark." Yugi said as he began carving the large circle with another sharper stone.

They went back to the hotel after Yugi had finished with the runes and had dared Bakura to even attempt a simple spell. Only after did that fail did he agree to allow them to return so Yugi could rest properly. He slept solidly on the way back, nestled in to Atems chest as his heart beat lulled him to sleep.

They settled him in peacefully in bed once finally back in Cairo and ate dinner gratefully afterwards. For now they were just relieved most of the work was done so quickly. They had no idea how long it would take to find Bakuras body, lost in Egypt after so many thousands of years, but to find it in a day was something they could all be relieved over. Idealy having Yugi free of Bakuras pestering would have been preferred, but theyd rather not risk his safety and thankfully so did Yugi. Bakura was becoming impatient but so long as Yugi could rip back control from him he had no choice but to wait.

And while they waited for Yugi to recover it was now Atem had decided to tell them they he and Yugi were seeing one another. At first Tristan and Tea were surprised but they quickly agreed that in retrospect it was actually obvious. In fact Tea admitted that she had wondered while they were dating that perhaps Atems loss was one reason Yugi's past relationships never lasted, even theirs. She said he was always somewhat reserved but whenever he was in Egypt or doing work on Atem's exhibit he was a lot more lively and himself. Even in the car ride home they hadn't seen him be any form of affectionate with any of his other partners.

Atem had asked about his experience with others and they laughed, reminscing about his days in college. It was true Atem was not his first sexual experience but any partners he did have were usually during drunk college parties. They agreed when all of this was over they would have a real proper celebration at home and he would get to see Yugi drunk first hand; according to them he was riot under influence, a tremendous flirt and cockier than Joey at the best of times. He looked forward to seeing this.


	35. 35

The next day when Atem awoke he noticed Yugi's bed was empty. It was still very early in the morning; not even the sun had reached the base of the Pyramids yet. He must have slept well, Atem smiled at the thought. He stretched wide and instinctively moved to place the Puzzle around his neck only to find it missing from beneath the pillow. It wasn't knocked off, it wasn't in sight… where was it?

Panic gripped him as he searched. He kept it close by and the chains wrapped around his arm while he slept so he knew if it were to be taken but somehow it was just gone. Yugi was going to be furious with him if it was taken… they couldn't complete the ritual without it and even then, this was his puzzle… where was it?!

"Joey… Joey!" Atem pushed him awake until he groaned and sat up slowly.

"What?" He moaned.

"The Puzzle's gone. I can't find it!" Atem said quickly, his voice cracking under stress.

Joey woke up quicker, pushing sleep aside to look towards Atem's bed.

"What? Where did you take it off last night?"

"I put it under my pillow and wrapped the chain around my arm but I can't find it!"

"Where's Yugi?"

"I don't know, he's been gone before I got up not too long ago. Joey please you have to help me find it before he realises it's gone!"

"Okay bud… hang on." Joey said. He reached under his pillow too for the rod only, when he threw the pillow away he stared in horror at it's disappearance too.

"How? I … how?!" Joey mouthed in horror.

"The rod too?!"

"Crap…. What do we do?!"

"Lets find Tristan and Tea… maybe theirs are missing too." Atem suggested.

Tristan and Tea's room was opposite theirs so slipping in was easy enough, particularly when they left their door unlocked. They were still sleeping, naturally, their room even darker than their own. They split up to gently wake one of them each, stirring them awake as quickly and as calmly as they could to not provoke any screaming.

Once they woke they told them their items were missing.

Tea bit down a shriek when she touched her neck to find the necklace missing and in her drawer so was the eye and ring. Tristan's scales and key were gone too…. They were stolen… all of them!

"How did they get the necklace though? I can't have slept through someone taking it off!" Tea said in dismay. "Someone was that close to me while I was asleep?" Her face went pale at the thought.

"Guys… all of them are gone… we have to tell Yugi. There's no way we can find them all without him knowing."

"Is he awake?" Tea asked.

"Yes… I haven't seen him yet this morning." Atem shook his head no.

"Oh he's going to be so pissed." Tea complained.

They went downstairs to the cafeteria but found it empty, Joey checked the bathroom but he wasn't showering. The hotel owner said he hadn't seen anyone come down yet … where could he be?

"I doubt someone stole Yugi too without us knowing." Joey joked weakly when Tristan rushed back inside, his eyes wide with terror.

"The cars gone! Someone took the car!"

"What?!"

A thought occurred to Atem then, an instinct, like a message left behind for him he was just seeing. Yugi took the items, he took the car, slipped out before daylight and has gone to resurrect Bakura… but why would he do it alone? He knows they were in support of this and he knows he'll need their help to bring him back to town… unless it wasn't Yugi that did this but Bakura. Bakura could of taken the opportunity to take everything when they were all asleep, including Yugi and put him away into his mind without him noticing… that was the only explanation.

"Bakura's gone to resurrect himself. We have to get another car and catch up!" He announced.

"Bakura?"

"But wouldn't Yugi notice if Bakura took over like that?" Tea asked.

"Not necessarily. Yugi needed a lot of rest, while he was in the deepest part of his sleep thats likely when he took over, locked him away temporarily and made his move." Atem explained.

"Who care's, lets go get another car. God damn this is going to be expensive. Someone else get it, they'll know I got one the other day." Tristan said.

"The owner said he hadn't seen anyone, does that mean he left before sunrise?" Tea asked as they drove very quickly across the dunes.

"Most likely. I'd say between 1 and 4. Thats likely when Yugi was sleeping the deepest and no one else was awake." Atem supposed.

The car lifted off a dune temporarily to crash back down, swivveling slightly until Tristan could get control of it again. They groaned, rubbing their heads and gripping on tightly to anything they could. Tea smacked him across the back of the head.

"Be careful!"

"I'm sorry but we have to get their quick right?" Tristan complained.

"Alive is preferred you numbskull!" Joey snapped.

Alive… if he was right then it'd been about 3-5 hours since Yugi left… which was more than enough time to get there already and begin the ritual. By the time they get there, regardless on when he started the ritual would be complete… he just hoped he would live through this. He knew Bakura was getting impatient, but all he needed was Yugi to be at his bare minimum to survive long enough to complete the ritual… he didn't need him alive beyond that.

He bit his lip and shuttered. The sun hadn't been up long enough to heat the desert but he felt a chill run through him that not even Ra could soothe… Yugi… please be okay!

3 hours it took them to get there, with a stop in the middle to refuel the car but when they got there their suspicions were confirmed… the jeep was here. Which meant Yugi was too.

"He's here!" Tea said excitedly.

"Yes but it's been hours. They've likely already completed the ritual." Atem pointed out, leading the way towards the hidden staircase.

"Wait… but then what about Yugi?" Tea asked. They followed him quickly, sprinting to the centre of town and getting out their torches. Joey lead the way with his phone but Atem stuck by very close. They remembered the traps and with ease slipped through until they reached the Hall but to their heartbreaking dismay they found nothing.

Yugi wasn't there, Bakura's body didn't fill the rags left behind and the glint of the golden Millenium Items did not grace the empty hall before them. They had been here though. The carvings Yugi had made yesterday were now a dark shade of red as blood dried in the grooves.

They had in fact completed the ritual and had since left… but Bakura should have been unconscious and Yugi… Atem doubted he'd be in a fit condition to carry him out with the items… and the car was still here. So where were they? What happened here?

"Search around, maybe they went further in?" Tristan suggested.

"Be careful. Don't go too far, they wouldn't have." Atem warned them.

"Wait guys! Look!" Tea called out before they could split up. She crouched to look at the sand carefully and on further inspection Atem could see it too: drag marks and foot prints. There had been others here and they dragged something out of the tomb where they had come. Were they the ones responsible for Yugi and Bakura's disappearance? In which case, who were they and who's side were they on? Why didn't they take the car?

"They're tracks right? It leading back outside!" Joey said quickly and took the stairs back up 2 at a time.

They found more tracks now they were looking, faded and slightly blown away in the gentle breezes brushing the town. They followed them to what appeared to be hoof prints. That explains why they didn't take the car, if they had horses with them but then that also meant they couldn't travel as far or as long. They'd need to stop somewhere but if memory serves correctly the only stops nearby would have been buried beneath thousands of years of sand now.  
"They look like they go into the desert. We could follow them?" Tristan suggested.

"The sand will have buried the tracks and if we run out of fuel we're as good as dead. We need to know where they're likely to go before we search the desert wildly." Atem said quietly.

"What about Kaiba? He should be able to track down Yug's watch, right?" Joey suggested.

"His watch?" Atem asked.

"Mokuba gave him a smart watch 2 years ago as a present. It's connected to Kaiba Corp's satellite so they should be able to tell us where they are." Tea agreed.

"We'll have to go back to the city though. I have no reception out here." Joey complained as he raised his phone to the sky.


	36. 36

"So do you think you can track him down?" Joey asked Mokuba.

They were all seated in the hotel room and had been explaining to Mokuba and Kaiba of their situation. Kaiba begrudgingly listened but only because he was intrigued that they claimed Atem to be back and in the flesh. He refused to admit any of this to have any weight but his silence was at least appreciated. Mokuba on the other hand came through and believed them readily.

"I can, just let me get connected…. And … there. He's about 6 hour drive from Cairo." Mokuba said.

"6 hours… that means they'd have only been about 3 hours from where we were!" Joey complained.

"Yeah but we wouldnt have had the fuel to come back, nor did we know in which direction." Tea pointed out.

"I can send you the coordinates but guys, I wouldn't leave until tomorrow." Mokuba warned.

"Tell them not to go at all Mokuba." They heard Kaiba say deeply in the background.

"But Seto-"

"Kaiba we appreciate your brothers help but we're going to save Yugi and bring him back. We're not going to just abandon him out there." Atem said strongly.

"I never told you to abandon him, just that you shouldn't go. Wait until tomorrow at the Cairo airport. This time tomorrow you'll have a much faster way of finding him without getting lost or stranded." Kaiba said as he took the phone from Mokuba.

"Wait are you saying you'll meet us here Kaiba?" Joey asked.

"What do you think Wheeler? I won't be doing this out of the charity of my heart though dweebs. I'm doing this for two reasons: 1 to make sure the former King of Games doesn't get lost in some sand dune and 2, to see this Pharoah for myself and duel him to prove which one of us is better."

"You want to duel me, Kaiba?" Atem asked.

"I wanted to duel you 6 years ago but Yugi robbed me of that chance. If what you dweebs are saying is true, then this is my chance to duel you myself without Yugi interfering."

"Fine by me then. We'll meet you tomorrow at the airport, you'll help us rescue Yugi and only when the danger has passed will we duel, one on one." Atem agreed.

"Mokuba, get the jet ready. Dweebs, see you around this time tomorrow."

And with that the call ended and they sighed.

"Well that worked out better than I thought it would." Tea said.

"Does he seem…. Nicer to you?" Atem asked.

"Still sounds like a dick to me." Joey shrugged.

"Not that he'll ever admit it but Kaiba has grown to have a bit of respect for Yugi now he's not a professional duelist and has since found his own path. He still comes off as cold to the rest of us but hes at least warmed to Yugi more since he became an archaeologist. Something about finding his place in the world." Tea said, shrugging lazily.

"We shouldn't be far now. We should be coming up to some ruins and they're inside there." Mokuba said as he adjusted various dials and overlooked a very advanced looking screen.

He had grown a lot in 6 years. His hair was tied back neatly in a long ponytail, he was taller, resembling a young man now. His voice was deeper but recognizable as his own. Kaiba stood behind him as his men piloted the jet. He remained the same as ever. Standing tall and arrogantly with his arms crossed, a scowl permanently planted on his face and his white billowing coat flaring behind him unnaturally.

When he first saw them all he stared at Atem for an uncomfortable amount of time, saying nothing at all. He was completely unreadable, even as Atem had tried to greet him and thank him for his assistance. Even now he remained oddly focused.

"We should be able to see the ruins now, on the right guys." Mokuba said.

He was right. The ruins he spoke of was that of a large city, or what was left of it. The palace was half buried in sand, the districts only recognisable by the tall walls and pillars that broke through. The roofs of temples, of guard towers and the heads of once glorious statues poked through the sand like little stone trees. It was amazing to think that 3000 years ago, a once thriving city lived here.

Atem thought; wondering … if his geography was correct and his memory told him true, then this city used to be his. 3000 years ago this would have been where his father reigned, and where reigned for such a short time, and where Seto reigned after him.

As they got closer and found a solid place to land, it was confirmed. Most of his city was under the sand now, buried by time for thousands of years, but he recognised the palace, the layout of the city walls, the heads of these statues… this was home.

"Okay, Yugi should be somewhere in these ruins." Mokuba said as the jet purred to sleep.

"Mokuba. Stay here and keep the jet ready. This won't take long." Kaiba said, whisking past them.

They were met with the heat of the desert almost immediately coming off the air conditioned jet, yet even so Kaiba didn't seem bothered at all by the change in temperature, even with his thick coat waving behind him. Atem adjusted quickly, owing to his natural affinity to warmer temperatures but the others groaned and sagged.

"If you can't handle the heat stay in the jet. I don't want to listen to you carrying on." Kaiba complained.

"Yeah you'd like that rich boy."

"Of course I would Wheeler. That's why I suggested it. Now I'm going to make this clear. We go in, find Yugi and leave. None of this ancient destiny crap that your all fans of. I'm a very busy man and don't have the luxury of hanging out in an old sand castle." Kaiba said.

"This sand castle used to be my Kingdom Kaiba. I realise you don't believe it still despite all you've seen but can I ask you to please have a little respect for what this used to be." Atem said sternly.

"Hmph. If it was so great 'Pharoah' your people would not have moved on from these ruins."

"Need I remind you that it was your past self that took over this Kingdom?" Atem jabbed at him. He didn't like the idea of using his past self to silence him given that King Seto and he were actually quite close but it seemed to work. He turned his head away and his chin up arrogantly but he had nothing to say.

"Hey Atem, how great would it be if we could remove the sand from this place and reconstruct it? People could live here again!" Tea said to him excitedly.

"Yeah it could be like a desert resort, with like pools and shade." Tristan continued her fantasy.

"You dorks realise how much that would cost right? And not to mention who would want to visit ruins in the middle of the desert? Thats why people tend to go to beaches, to relax not to swelter." Kaiba complained.

"Sure, that's why Egypt is also a tourist destination." Joey sang with sarcasm. Kaiba rolled his eyes but Atem enjoyed the light hearted exchange.

"I remember this place." Tristan said quietly as they climbed the steps to the Palace.

"Yeah I remember sleeping outside cause the guards wouldn't let us in." Joey complained.

"That happened?" Atem asked.

"Oh yeah. But the guards couldn't see us Joey, not because we weren't invited." Tea pointed out.

"Think those guys will invite us in?" Tristan asked as they reach the last step.

Before the large golden door between the two massive statues of King's sitting in their thrones were 4 tanned men dressed in light linens, turbans and cloths. They wore curved swords at their hips, brightly coloured sashes around their waists and perhaps to ruin the aesthetic, duel disks on their wrists.

They stood guard, watching them approach and still as the statues guarding the door.

"We can do this one of two ways: you can step aside and let us in, or I could beat you down and go in anyway. Choice is yours." Kaiba declared proudly.

"You can try, Seto Kaiba, but we have been given strength by the rightful King of the Sands. Only those worthy may join him in his hall." One of the four stated loudly.

His hall. Atem dwelled on those words, feeling irritated at the sheer notion that Bakura would claim his city even like this.

Kaiba activated his duel disk and stood ready to fight. The four took on his challenge, each activating their own disks.

"Wait a minute Kaiba, 4 on one is hardly fair. Lets even the odds." Joey said as he took a spot beside him and activated his own duel disk. Atem hadn't noticed that he had been carrying a compact disk in his jacket; he admitted it made travelling with it a lot easier but how long had he had it for? And why didn't he know about it until now.

"2 against 4 still isn't even Wheeler but it can't hurt. They're screwed either way." Kaiba said.

Kaiba was right. After just a few turns each all four of them were on their knees either out cold or in shock at the sheer power both Kaiba and Joey displayed against them. Even Atem was impressed how sympatico Joey and Kaiba had become despite being pure rivals. Even after so many weeks being back on this plane he was still surprised by how things had changed.

Pushing on the large heavy golden doors they were met with the familiar sight of the grand hall. Or rather it was familiar to Atem, not so much everyone else. Atem remembered this place when the rugs were still vibrant and the walls still shone; but even dulled, aged and poorly lit the Grand Hall offered a spectacular sight.

"Wow." His friends breathed as they walked, mouths ajar and eyes wide open.

"This is incredible." Tristan said to himself.

"I thought you'd been here before." Atem said to them quietly so his voice would not echo.

"Nah man. We saw the outside, the kitchens, some halls… but not this." Joey said, matching his volume.

"Well, on behalf of my family, welcome." Atem said happily.

"Yugi would go nuts in here. I wonder who'll be the real threat. Bakura keeping him hostage or Yugi wanting to stay." Tristan joked.

"Yugi's seen this room in its glory. He's seen every bit of my Palace back when it was young. He was very much as you think he'd be." Atem giggled.

"He was? Wait… how?" Tea asked.

"When our minds were linked, I created my space to resemble that of this Palace. When he first saw it for himself he simply sat himself on the floor and looked around in awe." Atem said fondly.

"WELCOME! I WONDERED HOW LONG IT WOULD TAKE THE GREAT PHAROAH TO RETURN TO HIS RUINED KINGDOM." Bakura shouted from the Throne.

He sat lazily in it, one leg draped over the arm and a goblet of wine swirling in his hand. He was dressed in fine silks, golden jewellery not fitted for him, and the smuggest grin painted on his scarred face.

The sight of him made Atem's blood boil. Not only was he already awake and seemingly healthy, but he was also lazing on his Throne in such a disrespectful manner.

"You came quicker than I expected though Pharoah, well done. I've barely had time to tidy the place up. Do forgive the mess, I assure you I have grand plans in store." Bakura continued.

"Bakura! Where is Yugi?" Atem demanded.

"He's fine… for now. As I said I have grand plans and one of those involve Yugi. Others involve filling this Palace with the riches of the Kings but one thing at a time, right?"

"Tell us where he is, you creep!" Tristan shouted.

"Such disrespect. This is the company you keep now Pharoah? Someone of such low class should know how to mind his tongue!" Bakura barked. In one smooth motion he slipped out the Millenium Rod from beside him and used it to silence Tristan. He grabbed at his mouth, clawing his lips to open them but he couldn't… all he could muster were panicked noises.

"While I approve of silencing the scooby crew I'm a very busy man Bakura. I don't care what your plans are or what your angle is, all I care about is retrieving Yugi so this one and I can duel. So I'm going to offer you the same chance I gave your lap dogs out there. Tell us where he is, or I'll beat it out of you instead." Kaiba said.

"Seto Kaiba…. How intriguing it is to have 2 former Pharoahs in this very hall… how very fortuitous. Unfortunately for all of you, any power you had means nothing now. I hold the Millenium Items, my power has been restored and soon, I will be adding Yugi's to my arsenal as well. As far as hierarchy goes, you two are now merely peasants compared to me. How does it feel?"

"Bakura that's enough! Tell us what youve done with Yugi!" Atem shouted angrily

"I haven't done anything to him and to prove it, let's bring him out." Bakura clapped his hands and a side door opened loudly revealing two men, dressed similarly to the men outside, dragging a barely conscious Yugi between them.

"Yugi!" Atem called to him.

The men dragged him to the floor before Bakura, dropping him heavily to the floor before standing in guard at the feet of the Throne.

Yugi was conscious, as evident by him recoiling in pain and his grunts of discomfort but he was very weak.

Atem moved to get closer but Bakura clicked and in one smooth motion the men drew handguns on them, threatening them all to remain where they were.

"Bakura!" Atem shouted.

He shrugged lazily.

"I haven't done a thing to him. This is how he's been since he set me free."

"Then let us take him. You're done with him now right?" Tea asked desperately.

"Done with him? Not even close. Yugi set me free, but there's one more thing I want from him." Bakura said.

"And what could that be? There's nothing left in him Bakura." Seto stated. Something in his voice struck a chord within Atem… was he mad? Atem couldn't place it but Kaiba seemed almost just as angry at Yugis state as they were.

"Oh there's something left in him… not for long though. I thought you'd be happy Pharoah. This is my gift to you. Removing the Demon within him… you've met it too haven't you? You've seen what it's done to him. Well allow me to remove it from him!"

Bakura stood tall, pointing the Millenium Rod at Yugi as the eye inside it glowed brightly.

Atem had seen this before… This was how Seto used to rip the darkness from people's hearts but… there was a procedure to do it safely… Just ripping it from someone was dangerous! He couldn't allow Bakura to continue with this.

"BAKURA STOP! DOING IT THIS WAY WILL HURT YUGI!" Atem shouted. He moved to dash to him but his guards shot a warning shot at his feet.

A glowing gold wall rose around Yugi like a barrier and weakly he looked up to see it.

"What?" He whispered weakly.

"YUGI!" Atem shouted to him. He saw him, his eyes sparkled and briefly Yugi felt his strength return as he saw them.

"Atem!"

The gold wall pulsed brightly, bringing his attention back to the impending crisis at hand. "What's happening? What is this?" Yugi asked quickly as he pushed himself up onto his knees.

"Yugi! Your monster belongs to me now!" Bakura commanded, laughing maniacally as the Rod pulsed brightly.

In seconds Yugi released a heart wrenching scream, his hands clasping his hair as he screamed to the heavens above. The shriek echoed off the golden halls and pierced their hearts with such sharpness they recoiled, even Kaiba winced from it.

"YUGI!" They all shouted desperately, but their calls to him and Bakura's laughter was drowned by his painful, tearing scream.


	37. 37

Atem had heard this scream before. When Leon almost killed him and Yugi was drifting between the plane of existence and the Veil, he had heard this scream. It seemed a lift time ago now and he had vowed never to hear this scream again; but now… Yugi's shriek threatened to tear down what remained of his palace, his reality as his soul was torn and ripped and purged of any trace of darkness tightly embedded inside it. This was the power of the Millenium Rod: the ultimate ability of control.

Yugi's demon; that confident and conniving little version of him, would be torn from him violently and without the proper use of the other items to ensure his safety, not even Atem knew what would be left of Yugi.

It took only moments, his screaming threatening to tear his voice box to pieces, but it lasted a life time. Even as his scream was silenced by the last of his shadow leaving him to form a silhouette above him, it rang true in their ears, embedded deep in their hearts.

Yugi's hands fell limply to his side as tears streamed down his lifeless eyes. His body steamed as if he'd been struck by lightning and heavily he fell face first onto the decaying rug beneath him. He didn't move, he barely breathed and all they could do was stand in stunned silence as Bakura's laughter roared.

"So this is the darkness that was born of little Yugi's heart eh? Who'd have thought that someone so innocent could harbour such power? Let us see it's true form then." Bakura sang happily as the golden barrier around Yugi shattered.

The shadowy cloud above him glided to the space between them and in a startling second it dispersed to reveal a slender man dressed in leathers, standing tall and proud. One clawed hand covered his face but through his fingers were piercing red eyes. His other hand held a shadowy blade behind him. He was poised like a dancer, like a duelist; only the way his fingers twitched before his face, the way his hooded robe turned to mist at his heeled boots, the cold hard stare of murderous red eyes; this man was more than he appeared and vastly different to the one he had met within Yugi's mind. The only familiar thing about him were his eyes, but even then, inside Yugi's mind he was confident to the point of arrogance… this man was nothing like the one he had met.

"He doesn't look as threatening as my Diabound, but I can tell you all for certain the power he contains is unlike anything even I have felt. I guess it's true what they say about small packages. Now… if the rod tells me true then your name is Silent Magician… curiously you keep the rest of your title just as silent. No matter… Silent Magician! You are mine now. Give our guests here a taste of your power!" Bakura commanded.

Obeying his command the Silent Magician raised his clawed hand and as he did Yugi's body lifted before him as if being held by his throat. Yugi didn't struggle, his hands didn't move and nor did he kick… he was alive Atem was sure of it but his lack of response worried him greatly.

For a moment the Silent Magician stared at him, almost as if searching deep within him. He held him high, red eyes locked onto vacant lavender but he did nothing else.

"Bakura that's enough! You've done enough harm to Yugi. Your gripe is with me! Let him go and you and I can settle this!" Atem demanded, desperate to make him release Yugi before the Silent Magician could hurt him more, or worse kill him.

"My gripe is with this world Pharoah, it merely begins with you. And now that I have the Silent Magician and Yugi's practically nothing, as are you. Reshaping this world will be easy now and with the Silent Magician beside my Diabound there is nothing you can do to stop me!" Bakura shouted victoriously.

In a second the Silent Magician threw Yugi violently, tossing him away like he was garbage. He flew at an alarming speed against a golden pillar, cracking it right through to land and slide heavily against the golden tiles until he rolled to a still stop.

"YUGI!" They screamed.

Atem was first to reach him, turning him around to rest his head on his knee as he checked his vitals. He was alive but barely awake. His breathing was shallow and his skin was sunken, his eyes still lifeless as he stared blankly to the space before them.

"Yugi, look at me. Look at me. Talk to me." Atem urged him as he moved his head, brushing his hair from his face and stroking his cheek. He didn't respond at all though. It was almost like he wasn't even there, like he was unconscious or … dead. "Yugi say something!" Atem ordered him.

He was beyond angry at this point. He wanted to rip Bakura to shreds and worse. His mind was racing with creative ideas of torture for what he had done to Yugi but he had no choice but to contain his rage if he wanted to take Yugi out of here.

"We can't stay here. We have to take him and go!" Tea said quickly.

"Right. Atem can you lead the way?" Joey asked him as he took Yugi from him, carrying him in his arms before Atem could stop him.

He nodded begrudgingly before they needed to move from a shadowy ball of powerful smoke racing towards them. They weren't out of danger yet and while Bakura still breathed Atem would get his chance to punish him.

His laughter followed them out of the Hall as they ducked and weaved between shadowy attacks until finally they were out of sight but not out of danger.

They ran, following Atem instinctive direction until they found themselves leaving the Palace through a secret exit. He expected Bakura to have a search party for them but Bakura didn't know his Palace as well as Atem did. He used to use this exit as a child to sneak out with Mana and there were half a dozen more like this one they could use. This one would take them straight past the inner walls so all they needed to do was make for the jet where they might be able to get Yugi some medical help.

As soon as they were inside they set Yugi down on the long leather couch as Kaiba ordered Mokuba to take off immediately.

"What are we going to do?" Tea asked desperately. Atem held Yugi's hand to his lips, holding back tears with everything he had. He was almost completely lifeless, save the feint rise and fall of his chest as air silently passed through his slightly pursed lips. Even his skin was cold. He vowed to destroy Bakura. Every ounce of him was beyond redemption. He would absolutely destroy him if it took everything he had to do so.

"Yugi needs help. We should take him to a hospital." Tristan suggested.

"My medical staff is top of the line, better than any treatment a city hospital can offer. We're going back home -" Kaiba announced.

"Bakura's still free. He's got the Silent Magician, Diabound and the Millenium Items. We can't just turn tail and run!" Joey pointed out angrily.

"I don't care. We got Yugi, we're going home." Kaiba argued.

"We can't let Bakura get away with this. Besides, look at him Kaiba! What can your medical staff even do for Yugi like this. Physically he's bruised and beaten but this… this state he's in can't be fixed by a bandaid!" Joey snapped.

The words stung, cutting deeply. Atem knew he was right. Yugi's mind was shattered. He had his demon ripped from him without his heart being prepared for the separation. If Yugi was still inside, then no medical staff could bring him out. He would need to repair himself in time… if one could even recover from this. He shuttered; he didn't want to think of the possibility that he was lost forever but he needed to face this reality.

"What about Marik and Ishizu? They're the only other experts on the Millenium Items, the only other ones Yugi trusted enough with his knowledge on them. They might know of a way to save him, or at least how to stop Bakura." Tea suggested.

"That Eygptian fortune teller-" Kaiba began but was rudely cut off by Atem.

"May be our ONLY chance right now." He stood, releasing Yugi's hand to face Kaiba with such ferocity that even he, for the first time, saw his authority. "I won't be able to duel you with things the way they are. Yugi's practically gone and Bakura needs to be stopped. I appreciate your assistance Kaiba, but I will not be doing anything else unless it serves to either help Yugi or destroy Bakura."

Kaiba sighed, shrugging.

"Fine. Mokuba, find the Ishizu woman. Arrange a meeting." Kaiba ordered before he left to a different compartment of the jet.


	38. 38

"I can't believe what your saying even though you are right before our eyes but if what you say is true then the whole world is in great danger once again and I believe it will be up to you, my Pharoah, to stop him once more." Ishizu said.

"The question is how. Hes got two super strong, super real monsters and the Millenium Items." Joey said

"Not to mention Yugis…" Tea trailed off sadly.

They had him seated on an armchair while Marik examined him closely. His experience with the Millenium Rod has given him a unique perspective and as they talked, recapping them on everything the past few weeks, he searched within Yugi.

"Currently not whole right now." He sighed sadly.

"Can you explain that please?" Atem asked him softly. He had suspected as much but he hoped perhaps Marik would have a clearer understanding.

"Back in your time Pharoah most of the Items were used to separate the darkness from the hearts of people. The Scale to weigh the heart, the Key to unlock the mind and sever the link between the beast and man, the eye to see the creature and finally the Rod to pull it out. Bakura used the Rod to pull the creature out but never severed the link, which means when he pulled out the creature most of what remained of Yugi was pulled out with him. Parts of him remain, but hes empty, like shell fragments of a broken egg." Marik explained.

"Is there any way to get him back?" Joey asked.

"Yes. If you can reunite Yugi with the creature I believe Yugi will be whole again. The trick is getting close enough to do so."

"When his monster… the Silent Magician as Bakura called him, grabbed Yugi he seemed to stare at him for a moment, as if he was searching him." Atem said.

"The Silent Magician was born within Yugi. Essentially he is the dark side of him. It's possible it was curious to see him for the first time." Marik suggested.

"That curiosity may offer your chance to reunite them. If the Silent Magician wishes to return to Yugi then he may betray Bakura to do so. Bakura might control him now but the Silent Magician will always be Yugis monster. For now, he may just be taking advantage of being free." Ishizu suggested.

"So, what. All we need to do is get Yug close enough to that monster without it killing him?" Joey asked.

"And without Bakura killing us?" Tristan added.  
"Without the Millenium Items or real monsters of our own?" Tea added as well.

"What about the Egyptian Gods? Pharoah you should still be able to summon them, as you did in the past?" Marik suggested.

"Without a Dia Diankh I'm unable to summon them." Atem said sadly.

"But Bakura wasn't using one to control Silent Magician. How was he managing that?" Tea asked.

"Its possible he's not controlling Silent Magician at all then. He may be unable to summon Diabound as well if thats the case. He might have just set Silent Magician free. This could reinforce the Magician just toying with him." Marik said.

"So thats good right?" Joey asked.

"This could very well work to your advantage. Of course, regardless, this all hinges on how the Silent Magician reacts to Yugi again.

"A….tem…" Yugi squeaked quietly. It was almost inaudible but the sheer surprise that he had made a noise pulled everyone's attention immediately. He made no movement, his eyes still glazed over, but it was certain… he spoke.

Atem moved to him, taking his hand gently and looking into his eyes, trying desperately to get his attention.

"I'm here." He said in a hushed voice, reaching out to him with his heart, hoping beyond anything for a reaction but all he got was the faintest, the slightest twitch of his fingers. None but he noticed, but he felt it… he was trying. What was left of him was trying… so he would to.

"We have to try. He'd go to the ends of the earth for us, we have to do the same." Atem proclaimed strongly. He vowed to him, he would bring him back.

***  
"Let them hide. They'll come out sooner or later. In the meantime lets have some fun shall we? Silent Magician! Show me what you can do!" Bakura commanded loudly.

The Silent Magician, previously floating in wait for an order, stared at Bakura. His expression unchanging, cold and disobedient but after a short while when Bakura was becoming impatient, he raised his hand to one of Bakura's men and lifted him from a distance, choking him as his hands clawed at his throat to grasp at the air strangling him. His skin paled, his eyes rolled to the back of his skull and soon as his body began to weaken the Magician tossed him aside, like the lifeless husk it now was. Bakura smirked, stifling his giggles. He was impressed with how cold that was but it worried him why he hesitated. Nevertheless he was pleased, though he wondered what else he could do. He felt a great deal of power from him, that little show was nothing. The Magician was holding back… a lot.

"Very good. But show me something more. Raise this city to its former glory! Make this Kingdom fit for me as it's ruler!" He commanded.

The Silent Magician narrowed his eyes, twitching his clawed hand over his face in what appeared to be a flash of irritation before he threw a small ball of black fire towards him. It missed with ease… it was not meant to hit him. It was a warning shot or perhaps a message. He was the Silent Magician after all and he had to open his mouth. Perhaps creation was not in this Magicians bag of tricks.

"Fine. Then show me what you can do. You have enormous power, show it to me!"

The Silent Magician cast a large ball of black fire towards the roof then, breaking it with ease. Debris crumbled to the floor, unsettling the sand and dust but as it settled they noticed the light had changed. Through the new sky roof The Magician had created they noticed the sun was blacked out. The ball of black fire had smothered it, creating an eclipse across Egypt. The world was darkened immediately, with nothing but a ring of light around the black orb. The Silent Magician was unphased, returning to his natural waiting stance… he had created a total Solar Eclipse in his name and he showed no fatigue, no drain in his power… this was more like it.

Bakura laughed maniacally to the darkened heavens above. Not even Ra could stop him now. Not with the Magician at his command. The world would burn in righteous black fire and the Pharoah would crumble beneath his heel, just like his precious Palace.

The sky turned red as the black sun cast its shadow across the sands of Egypt. People across the city of Cairo all stopped to gaze in awe at the phenomenon, getting their phones out to record it and hurrying along to get home or indoors.

Atem and the others did the same, watching the sky darken in nervous anticipation. Unlike the people of Egypt they knew exactly what was happening.

Bakura.

Whatever It was he's done, he's doing to prove his power. Atem had to admit he was nervous. He didnt know if they could stop Bakura this time. He had the advantage of two monsters while they did not. They also had an almost empty shell of Yugi to care for and protect while Bakura could use the Millenium Items and Yugis monster without losing anything.

It looked grim. But when Atem looked to Yugi he was filled with strength. He would do all he could to protect his friends but he would give even his life to destroy Bakura and bring Yugi back. If he were to fall then he would at least be bringing Bakura down with him. He was certain of this.

"My Pharoah." Ishizu sang behind him. Her voice was as soothing and kind as it always was, even now with such uncertainty hanging over them.

In her arms though she carried something wrapped in a white linen cloth and she was presenting it to him like it was perhaps her child.

"What is this?" He asked gently.

"Yugi asked us to protect this among with a number of your personal items he didnt want on display or in any one elses hands. He entrusted us with this so that it could never be used again. However, Marik, Odion and I believe that if anyone should have this, it should be you my Pharoah." She said, removing the cloth to reveal his Dia Diankh. Its gold shined brightly even after all these years. They had protected it and kept it pristine for him… even Yugi… he never thought he would see this again. His heart soared, renewed with new hope. If he could use this to summon the Egyptian Gods, even the Dark Magician… Mahaad… then maybe they stood a chance after all.

Yugi… you even thought of this.

"Thank you, Ishizu. Thank you and your family for keeping this safe and honoring Yugis wishes. Thank you for everything." Atem said gratefully as he graciously accepted it into his hands. It felt powerful, like raw energy encarnate… He could do this. No… They could do this.

It activated upon wrist, the light of the eye glowing with his energy as it synced with his spirit. It was exhilarating to say the least to feel it's weight again and be reconnected to the Egyptian Gods and his own monsters bonded to him.

They felt as he did: that balance was disrupted and they would make it right. Bakura would pay and Yugi will be returned. This time for sure he would end Bakura so he could never again rise and threaten the world.

"You are ready my Pharoah. We will aid in any way we can, you need only ask." Ishizu said, bowing her head deeply in respect. He felt it unnecessary for her to bow but he knew it was her way to show respect, so he offered her a bow in return as thanks and together they left the balcony to find the others.


	39. 39

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for letting me know this was uploaded twice. Here's the actual chapter :D

"Alright. So recap the plan." Joey said as they stood under shelter in the city square, watching as balls of fire rained from the sky, crashing into buildings, setting trees alight and destroying roads. People ran, screaming for their lives in panic and terror. The only ones remaining calm: Atem and his friends.

"Weren't you listening Wheeler!" Kaiba said in annoyance.

"Enough!" Atem barked at them. "We need to find the Silent Magician. Joey, Kaiba and I will find and distract Bakura. Tea, Tristan and Ishizu will protect Yugi while Marik, Odion, and Mokuba will lure the Magician to Yugi. Once Yugi is whole again we can destroy Bakura for good."

"I don't like the idea of you ordering me and my brother around." Kaiba said.

"If you prefer to stay back while Mokuba joins me to fight Bakura then by all means Kaiba." Atem said snarkily, to which Kaiba hmphed and ignored him.

"I'm putting you all in grave danger. The risks here are exceedingly high. If you would prefer to seek safety then I completely understand and ask you to say so now." Atem continued.

"The danger is very high, but this is for Yugi. He'd do the same for us and we all already owe him for one thing or another. We're with you Pharoah." Marik said strongly. Everyone aside from Kaiba nodded in agreement, standing firm beside him.

"Lets find us a Magician." Joey said happily.

Atem put his hand to his heart and called forth to his most trusted ally and faithful servant: Mahaad, the Dark Magician. In seconds he appeared before them, glowing brightly and kneeling in respect to him.

"My Pharoah. It has been long but I am at your command." He said strongly. Ever the faithful. How he missed him.

"Mahaad. My friend. It has been long. There is little time to explain but I need you to protect my friends in my stead. Bakura has risen, and he has in his command a Magician that is very powerful. My friends need to find this Magician and return him to Yugi. Do not destroy him, but please protect them. Help them lure the Magician back to where he belongs." Atem ordered him.

"As my Pharoah commands, so it is done." He bowed his head.

It didn't take them long to find Bakura as the closer they got to them the more destructive the city became and more vacant of innocents as they had already fled.

They found him laughing as the Silent Magician lay waste to several police cars, tossing them around like juggling balls before throwing them into buildings. They were empty but the destruction didn't seem to amuse the Magician much. He seemed to sense their presence and turned to face them, staring at them deeply. His burning red eyes pierced their souls, robbing them of their heat and courage. Bakura noticed and with such arrogance welcomed them with open arms.

"Well this is magnificent. This Magicians power is simply thrilling. I can see why you favour your magics so much Pharoah. I see you brought yours out to play as well, but so many against one monster is hardly fair… allow me to even the playing field and welcome my own. DIABOUND!" Bakura shouted loudly.

In moments, out of the shadows behind him emerged his great beast. His white scales reflected the fire surrounding him, his wings spread threateningly wide and his long serpent tail curled around Bakura as if protecting him. He was much larger than the Silent Magician and far more terrifying to behold, but as Atem compared the two he somehow felt the Magician was stronger. He didn't even seem to acknowledge Diabounds presence… in fact as he followed the Magicians gaze he noted he was fixed soley on Yugi perched upon Tristans back. This was good… Bakura hadn't noticed the Magician cared not for him and his attention was already drawn to Yugi…

"It's been too long since Diabound has tasted the blood of humans, what say the great Pharoah be the first!" Bakura declared loudly.

"Spread out!" Joey called as Diabound charged a great magical attack.

They ran, seeking cover behind buildings as Diabounds attack smashed the road they once stood on.

"Come now Pharoah, you have your Magician and your expendable pawns. King's shouldn't run, they fight!" Bakura taunted.

"I call upon thee, SLIFER THE SKY DRAGON!" Atem shouted. His strength waned as Slifer materialised through the heavens, drawn to his spirit to fight alongside him. He stood out to face Bakura and noticed the Silent Magician hadn't moved.

"Ah, the Egyptian God Slifer. The Silent Magician will have fun tearing him apart. Silent Magician! You've been itching for a challenge; destroy Slifer! Show the Egyptian Gods who's in charge now!" Bakura commanded.

The Silent Magician remained still though, ignoring his orders. He didn't even glance at Slifer, he fixed completely on Yugi's direction.

Out of nowhere a ball of black energy shot passed him though, momentarily catching his attention. Mahaad floated near Yugi… he missed on purpose, trying to make him move.

When he did not budge Mahaad tried again, aiming closer to him and taunting him with his fingers, smirking arrogantly, daring him to attack.

The Silent Magician held the ball Mahaad had thrown with ease in his hand, as if holding a volleyball before he threw it back at him. Mahaad blocked the attack with his staff but even Atem felt the sting in his heart… that was the strength of Mahaads attack… he didn't want to know what the strength of the Silent Magicians was.

"I told you to attack Slifer not the Magician!" Bakura shouted.

Continuing his ignorance of Bakura the Silent Magician disappeared, only to reappear before Mahaad and with his sword he moved to strike, only Mahaad blocked the sword with his staff.

"My Pharoah!" Mahaad called for guidance.

"He must reunite with Yugi!" Atem shouted to him.

"Reunite with him? The Silent Magician belongs to me now. There is nothing that husk can do even with the return of his creature." Bakura shouted.

Mahaad summoned forth his own magic to push the Silent Magician away before daringly he took Yugi from Tristan's back and held him before him, threatening to kill him with his staff.

To each of their surprise the Silent Magician held off his attack, staring at Yugi with such ferocity and anger they thought he might attack him instead.

Atem watched, surprised Mahaad would hold Yugi hostage but he trusted him… he knew they needed the Magician to look at Yugi again, not them.

"Fine then! Silent Magician, destroy what remains of your host, he who locked you up for so long. You wanted him dead, now seize your chance and do as I command! Rob him of his last breath!" Bakura commanded.

The Silent Magician raised his hand, pushing Mahaad and the others to the ground violently but leaving Yugi to float limply before him. His hand clawed around his throat, lifting him up above him but he wasn't malicious… he was curious.

They had no idea if he was going to kill Yugi or fuse with him but they all watched in deathly silence.

Atems heart was beating in his throat… if he killed Yugi now it would be all over. He'd have no strength left, no will to carry on… his life would be forfeit and Yugi's fate would be his fault. Please… please return to him. He prayed.

"What are you waiting for! Destroy him!" Bakura shouted angrily.

Marik was right… The Silent Magician isn't under Bakura's control at all… any commands he's followed to this point has been at his own discretion.

"If you will not obey my command then move aside for someone who will. Diabound! Devour them! Annihilate them all!"

"Slifer! Defend the Silent Magician!" Atem ordered quickly and in seconds Slifer had flown in to intercept the attack. Atem winced from the blow but the Silent Magician was safe and Slifer held off Diabound with ease as they roared together, tossing and tackling as they took their fight to the skies.

"LOOK!" Tea shouted.

To their excitement the Silent Magician touched his forehead to Yugi's and a bright light erupted between them, enveloping them whole and blinding them all. The dark gray clouds above them parted and the rain of fire ceased. Slifer and Diabound could be seen continuing their brawl but before them a silhouette of a man stood as the light faded.

Yugi stood, eyes closed and hands limp beside him. Gravity began to take him and as his knees gave way and began to fall forward a hand stopped him, pushing against his chest to keep him standing. Beside him the Silent Magician, poised and guarding Yugi against Bakura, his red eyes now fixed soley on him.

Yugi winced and cracked open his eyes, finding his own strength to stand without his aid. He looked around briefly, examining the debris, the burning buildings and lastly the Silent Magician before him.

"Yugi!" Atem called to him, his voice cracking with hope and relief.

He responded, turning to him and bright lavender eyes found his. He was back! He could cry, he was so happy.

"ALRIGHT YUG!" His friends cheered loudly as they all approached him.

"Hi guys… Looks like I've missed quite a lot." He said bashfully.


	40. 40

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phew, here we are! Now I'll update the sequel later. I'm off to write more fics!  
> If you read this all the way through, then thank you so SO SO MUCH! I love you! And if you enjoyed this then you'll love my other fics!!!!  
> Hopefully I have updated the sequel before you've gotten to this point, but if not you may find it on Fanfiction under the name "Kings of the Past" 
> 
> Thank you guys so much for sticking around!

"So… you managed to wake Yugi from his stupor. Am I supposed to be impressed? Diabound is still stronger than anything you could summon Pharoah! Even the Silent Magician isn't as reliable! Diabound, stop playing with the worm and return to me!" Bakura shouted.

Diabound and Slifer parted, Diabound to find his home unscathed behind Bakura and Slifer to curl around Atem and his friends protectively.

"Bakura. Do you know why you couldn't command the Silent Magician?" Yugi asked him strongly, turning to face him defiantly.

Bakura didn't answer, merely tsking in offence to Yugi's insolence.

Yugi stepped towards him though, out of Slifer's protection but the Silent Magician floated behind him.

"Yugi…" Atem said quietly. They were nervous. He had just woken up from a state not even they knew the extent of and getting too close to Bakura could be deadly even with the Silent Magician… but he showed no fear at all and that perhaps frightened Atem more than anything.

"You couldn't command him because he never respected you enough to tell his full name." Yugi said.

Bakura's eyes widened in fear. Atem remembered this, when Bakura first brought out the Silent Magician he had said that Silent Magician wasn't his full title… did that mean that Yugi knew it?

"Bakura. Allow me to introduce you to the Silent Magician… of Pure Chaos." Yugi proclaimed strongly and as he did the Silent Magician bowed gracefully, his shadowy cloak behind him spreading wide to show large black shadowy wings.

They stood, eyes wide and mouths ajar as the power he emanated… he was strong before but under Yugi's control, the power that pulsed from him in waves could be rival that of the Egyptian Gods…. What was this creature?

"I really must thank you Bakura. When you tore my soul shreds to bring him out of me you taught me the understanding of how to command my own darkness the way you command yours. And now that my friends have brought me back I now have the ability to destroy you once and for all." Yugi said coldly.

"Your Silent Magician is still no match for my Diabound. Not even the Egyptian Gods together can destroy him." Bakura taunted.

"No? That's where you're wrong. My Magician is chaotic, his power can't be calculated because it's constantly changing. If I were, for example, to ask Atem to attack him with his Gods…. I wonder what that might do to his power." Yugi suggested.

Atem caught on immediately and summoned forth with ease both Obelisk and Ra.

Bakura looked on in absolute terror as all three Egyptian gods towered over them, waiting for his command to attack either Bakura or the Silent Magician but Atem waited for his command. He still wasn't sure about attacking Yugi's monster but he would if asked...only when he was ready.

"Bakura. You can torment me. You can violate my soul, send me to hell and make me burn. You can tear me to pieces, but the destruction of Cairo, the blackening of the sun and worst of all the endangerment of my friends… you have not only given me the means to destroy you but you have given me reason! Atem, please, attack my Magician with everything you have." Yugi commanded.

"Mahaad, my Egyptian Gods, with everything, attack the Silent Magician!" Atem ordered at once.

Together they combined their powers as the Magician used his powerful shadowy wings to glide high above them and as their beams of magic raced towards him he caught them in his hand, absorbing their power and as he did his shadowy aura grew wildly, creating electric storms within his wings and cloak and making his bright red eyes burn with the intensity of the sun.

"No… this … this cannot be!" Bakura whimpered. "DIABOUND DESTROY YUGI!" He ordered desperately.

In an instant the Silent Magician defended Yugi. Yugi didn't even flinch as the air around him shifted. He had the protection of a creature that had absorbed the power of three Egyptian Gods, the most powerful sorcerer in existence and his own strength… the Silent Magician was on a tier all of his own now. Yugi and his friends had nothing to fear.

"Bakura…. When you hear the laughter of Silence, that's when you know it's over." Yugi said quietly.

They were quiet, confused by what he meant but before they could try to understand the Silent Magician sliced his sword through Diabound, sending him to the Shadowrealm with such ease it took them all a moment to register he was gone.

"D-Diabound…" Bakura whimpered, falling to his knees in defeat. "How…"

"Silent Magician…" Yugi said and the Magician stood, poised and ready, waiting for his ordered.

Yugi's hands were shaking though, clenched tightly to his sides, his knuckles turning white. He was furious but also… terrified. Atem walked to him, taking his hand gently in his. He could see the pain in his tears, the fear of his decisions and the anger he felt towards Bakura for all he's done, but as Atem held his hand he felt his courage returning. He wasn't alone and Bakura couldn't stay here.

"You got dis Yug!" Joey called behind them. They cheered him on, giving him his strength too and after taking a deep breath to settle his nerves, Yugi squeezed Atem's hand back and looked to Bakura with determination.

"Silence him!" He ordered finally.

The Silent Magician disappeared in a cloud of smoke only to reappear behind Bakura. They couldn't see him, only a floating mass of black shadow but they heard the laughter. The dark, growling, menacing laughter before the shadow consumed Bakura. He screamed in terror but as the shadow swallowed him, his screaming dulled as it became distant and soon, both he and the Silent Magician were gone.

Yugi sighed, sinking heavily into Atem's arms as he carefully lowered him down. He was panting, his eyes were heavy, his body weak but he was happy… they won.

"Yugi are you okay?" Atem asked him as Yugi leant into him for support.

"Yes… it's over. That… that was the last of Bakura." Yugi breathed.

"That was SO COOL!" Joey cheered loudly as he and the others jumped for joy, rejoicing in their victory.

"What of the Silent Magician?" Ishizu asked.

"He's with me." Yugi said softly. Momentarily, as if being called on the Silent Magician floated gracefully from Yugi, to stand tall, his sword behind him and his clawed hand covering his face.

Yugi moved to stand and Atem helped him up so Yugi could meet his gaze. The Magician's usual cold stare they had become accustomed to was now surprisingly softer as he gazed down at Yugi with almost a smile. He looked upon him with an expression that could only be respect. Something Atem never thought he'd see coming from the demon within him… when he met Yugi's demon he was vastly different to the Magician before them… but then now that he thought about it, the demon never respected Yugi either… perhaps now he does.

"Thank you." Yugi said to him earnestly. The Magician bowed his head and faded away.

"My Pharoah." Mahaad said behind him.

"Mahaad. Thank you so much for all your help my friend." Atem told him as he recalled the Egyptian Gods.

"It is my honor to serve. I and your loyal servants will continue to watch over you until you join us again in the afterlife."

"I'm afraid that may not be for a while yet my friend." Atem smiled as he took Yugi's hand yet again. Yugi smiled, beaming at the idea that finally they could be together, uninterrupted by evil.

"May you live the life you deserve and if the need shall arise, we are at your call." Mahaad bowed deeply. Atem bowed in return and soon Mahaad faded as well.

"Is that it? Can we go now?" Kaiba asked annoyedly. He never waited for a response, turning on his heel and leaving quickly as his cloak billowed behind him. Mokuba raced to catch up to him, leaving them all standing there bewildered.

"Cairo…" Yugi whispered sadly. "The city will take some time to recover from the damage."

"We will endure. We are a hardworking people and the damage could have been much worse." Ishizu said kindly.

"I feel somewhat responsible for this. It was my monster that caused this devastation simply because he was bored." Yugi said bashfully.

"Bored…?" Tristan asked nervously.

Yugi blushed.

"The damage appears worse than it is. You needn't worry Yugi. More importantly, do you not have a ride to catch home?" Marik asked.

"Right! If we don't catch up to rich boy he'll leave us behind!" Joey said frightfully.

"Yugi, before you go. I feel the need to tell you that we are sorry for disobeying your request. We felt you would agree that the Pharoah's …" Ishizu began but Yugi held up his hand to silence her gently.

"It's okay. I agree. If anyone should have the Dia Diankh it should be him. You made the right call. I suppose he could probably also do with the rest of his possessions too if he wishes." Yugi suggested.

"I… don't know what there is." Atem said carefully.

"Just a few personal items. We can send them home to you if you wish." Marik suggested.

"Use my account. Then you don't have to pay." Yugi smiled.

"Guys… Kaiba?" Tea suggested.

"Right! You guys are okay?" Yugi asked them once more. They all nodded, shook their hands, bowed to Atem and waved them off.

Finally, they were on their way home, together. No evil on the horizon, no drama's ahead of them… just them and the start of their new life together.


End file.
